Do you remember
by xxRikkexx1
Summary: A collection of one-shots about Sam and Dean's memories... All inspired by little things that caught my eye or ear in the show. Ideas are welcome :) Warnings: language, drinking, drugs, sex, violence, corporal punishment. Skip this if that is not your thing! You have been warned ;) No slash... Enjoy the stories :D
1. Dean's bad acidtrip

**This is my first Supernatural story, so go easy on me, haha :p**

**I think this will be a collection of one-shots about Sam and Dean's memories but right now I'm working my way out of a writer's block, so updates aren't as frequent as usual. This chapter is inspired by the episode where Dean hints he's had a bad acid-trip (3.10, Dream a little dream of me).**

**Warnings: Bad language is a given! Alcohol and drugs will make appearances as well, along with violence (wow, that last one is really a huge surprise!).**

**As with all my stories this one will involve whump, or discipline/corporal punishment if you will, so if that doesn't float your boat feel free to press the "back"-button. Don't say I didn't warn you...**

**Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own any of the characters or anything Supernatural-related, other** **than my dvds, and I don't own the cover photo (no copyright infringement intended).**

**Have fun reading :D**

* * *

**Part 1: Dean's bad acidtrip**

Dean gulped down half his beer, making sure to check out the big-breasted waitress' perky posterior as she went by.

"Dayum!" he mumbled appreciatively while raising an eyebrow and sent his brother a sly look.

Sam smiled and shook his head.

"Jesus, Dean! Ease up on the hornyness, man!"

Dean looked mildly offended.

"Bitch!" he said, the usual glint twinkling in his eyes.

"Jerk!" Sam immediately retorted, a small smile gracing his features.

The waitress passed the brothers again and Sam looked at her name tag.

"Laney S. D." he read out loud to no one in particular.

A memory suddenly flashed in his head and he looked at Dean, mischief evident in his eyes.

"LSD!" Sam drawled, "you promised to stay away from that kinda shit, so I guess you won't be doing her tonight!"

At first Dean looked completely lost. Sam sighed and furrowed his brow.

"Come on, man" he continued, "your insane acid-trip when you were 17!"

"Aw, man, that was brutal..." Dean said, rolling his eyes as the memory returned to him.

"Yeah" his brother agreed, "do you remember how it all played out?"

Dean huffed.

"How the hell could I forget, Sammy..."

x-x

… Dean could hear his own ragged breath as he scrambled through the forest. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he felt his heart hammering in his chest. He hissed as a pine branch whipped his cheek, drawing blood. What the hell kind of supernatural creature was on his tail?! It was not like something he had ever hunted with Dad, that was for sure!

And then without warning it was standing right in front of him again. Dean stumbled a few steps backwards and a startled grunt escaped his mouth.

"Fuck off, you bitch!" he growled, grasping for his silver knife.

Dean threw the nasty-looking thing in front of him a look. Long and dirty red locks of hair reached its hips, muscular biceps threatened to rip the shirt open, the eyes were large and completely white apart from a tiny blood-red center. The creature tilted its head, the empty eyes focusing right on Dean, and it slowly extended a thick arm towards the confused teen.

"Damn, you are fugly!" Dean panted through gritted teeth and slashed the knife through the air.

It caught the creature on the forearm and a stream of yellow, foul-smelling blood gushed out. An anguished howl left the white-eyed creature and it curled its mouth into a snarl while Dean backed up to avoid getting hit by the stinky blood.

"Better watch out for Sammy, Dean! Wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious brother!"

Dean struggled to understand the deep, guttural sounds that came out of the thing in front of him, but one word stuck with him. Sammy!

Dean felt his heart skip a beat as the creature vanished in a wisp of white smoke. Sammy! How the hell did this motherfucking asshole know anything about his brother?! Dean quickly pushed the thoughts aside and set his course for home. All that mattered now was getting there before the monster got to his brother first!

x-x

Dean rounded the corner and nearly collided with crazy, half-drunk Mrs. Knowles who lived two houses down. She waved a fist in the air, screaming at Dean as he continued down the street.

"You watch where you're going, boy, or I'll warm your backside!"

Dean turned his head to yell an apology but felt his voice catch in his throat. Mrs. Knowles' head had been replaced with that of the disgusting, scary creature and Dean whipped back around, nearly flying down the street. He flung the door to the rented house open, screaming for Sam.

"Sammy! Sammy, dammit, get in here!"

The 13-year-old came running down the stairs, alarmed by the panic in his brothers voice. He stopped on the last step and eyed his brother warily. Something was off! Sweat was trickling down Dean's temples, his eyes darted left and right and he panted wildly. A scratch shone red on his right cheek and his clothes was covered in mud and pine needles. He seemed overly nervous, very far from his usual confident self who always kept his cool.

"Dean, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not fucking okay, Sammy! Something's coming for you. I don't know how it knows about you, but it's been hunting me all the way home, and I think it just took over Mrs. Knowles."

Dean explained himself hastily, while laying down salt lines in front of the doors and windows.

"Why would it know about me? And what would it want with me, anyway?"

"I don't know Sammy, just fucking help me secure the house!" Dean all but shouted.

"Fine" Sam answered quickly, not wanting to further upset his brother.

Sam went to the kitchen and started pouring salt in front of the windows. His brain was working fast to find out what was wrong with Dean. Dad always made sure there were no supernatural creatures in or around whatever town they were staying in, before he left for a hunt. And then some weird creature who knew Sam's name and then possessed Mrs. Knowles was hunting his brother through the forest and half the town? Something was definitely not right.

Dean had left about three hours earlier to go to a party at some guy's house, and hadn't spared Sam the details about his plans to score a nice piece of ass. Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and all that! And then suddenly he came running through the door, looking like Death himself was on his tail.

Sam rested his head on the wall and sighed as realization washed over him. Careful to make sure he wasn't seen, Sam crept through the rooms collecting whatever weapons he could. Dean was the real threat here!

x-x

Sam had no idea what the hell had possessed Dean to do what he did! Sure, maybe Dad was away on a hunt in the adjacent state and wasn't going to be home until two days later, and sure Dean often went to parties, getting thoroughly wasted, hooking up with hot girls when Dad went on his trips, but to Sam's knowledge Dean had only tried something more "exciting" than alcohol once. And smoking that joint had bought Dean the sorest backside ever!

He had chosen to stand up to eat for the three following days, proclaiming multiple times never to touch weed or anything like it again for the sake of his well-being, and _that_ fact alone had been enough for Sam to promise himself to stay away from drugs all together. If Dad went that crazy when _Dean_ breathed through some herbs, Sam didn't want to imagine what would happen to him, should _he_ venture down that very path!

x-x

And now here they were, Sam hovering protectively over his big brother for the fifth hour in a row to make sure he didn't harm himself! Sam had managed to remove all the weapons from the downstairs rooms, and now Dean was crouching in a corner, sweat still trickling down his temples, a look of utter insanity shining in his eyes.

"Dean!" Sam tried again.

He still got no answer, but felt absolutely certain that his brother had ingested some sort of nasty substance causing hallucinations, most likely acid or shrooms.

"Dean, for fuck's sake, talk to me! Tell me whatever it is you're seeing looks like!"

Dean flinched in his corner, his eyes moving unnaturally fast while he licked his lips. He swallowed hard, trying to focus his gaze on his younger brother.

"Sammy" Dean gasped in a raw voice, "why can't you see them? They're right here!"

"There's nothing here Dean!"

Sam's voice was gentle as he looked at Dean, making sure not to make any rapid movements.

Dean's head whipped to the side as he saw an army of rat-sized black figures running across the room. They surrounded the brothers and bared their venom-dripping fangs.

"Sammy watch out!" Dean screamed while he launched himself forward, wielding his silver knife frantically.

Sam quickly retreated a few steps to get out of range and watched in horror as his brother slashed through the air while hollering at the figments of his imagination. How long before Dean rode out this freaking bad trip? It had been maximum 8 hours since Dean took whatever it was he had taken, and Sam had no idea how long it would be before he had his brother back.

"Dad, where the hell are you, when I need you!" Sam thought angrily.

x-x

Dean had moved back to the corner, this time clutching Sam to him in order to be able to protect his little brother. Sam had tried pulling free when Dean had suddenly grabbed on to him, but to no avail. Four years made a hell of a difference in strength when one was 13 and the other 17!

"Dean, please let me go!" Sam said.

"Sorry, can't do that" came the quick answer.

Dean's voice was cracking and he felt more tired than ever before. But he couldn't fall asleep! Not when that psycho assbutt was out for Sam!

x-x

And then it happened! Dean was nearly drifting off to sleep when suddenly a whooshing sound made him flinch. It was all Sam needed to free himself and he scooted across the floor a few feet away from his brother. His brother who was currently looking at him as if he were the Devil in the flesh!

"No!" Dean screamed furiously as he looked at his brother, who now had Sam's body and the head of the white-eyed, dirty-haired monster.

"Get out of my brother you son of a bitch!" Dean yelled and lifted his knife.

He knew Sam was still in there somewhere, but Dean couldn't think of any other way to try and get the monster to leave. With one harsh push Dean shoved Sam to his back on the floor, and quickly jumped on his chest to effectively pin him down.

"Dean!" Sam begged, his voice desperate, "let go, I'm me, I'm Sam!"

Dean swallowed, something deep inside of him telling him he shouldn't do what he was about to. Dean shook his head and gritted his teeth, and with a swift movement he let the knife sink into the forearm of the boy underneath him. Sam writhed from the pain and tried shaking his brother off of him.

Dean raised the knife again and was about to make another cut, when a deep, growling roar from outside made him freeze. The noise scared the living hell out of Dean and made Sam sigh with relief. Dean felt certain that the noise came from the dirty-haired creature's boss or something like it, but all Sam heard was the sweet, sweet sound of the Impala. Dad!

x-x

John got out of the '67 Chevy with a small smile on his face. The hunt had gone smoothly and he was looking forward to spending some time with his boys.

John looked at his watch and wondered why the light was still on in the house. Both boys should be sound asleep at this hour, he thought to himself, drawing in a deep breath.

A pained scream from inside startled John and made him jump up the front stairs and nearly knock the door down. What he saw inside made him mad with rage and fear.

Sam was lying on the floor, a long bleeding cut on one forearm, and Dean was on top of him looking completely mad.

"What the HELL is going on!" John growled as he tore Dean off Sam, giving him a firm shake so the knife dropped to the floor.

Dean struggled in John's grip, yelling every swear-word in the book as he tried to free himself. Sam moved to sit up, coughing roughly a few times before clutching his hurt arm.

"Sammy are you okay?" John asked, concern lacing his words.

Sam looked at his arm and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine Dad. It's just a superficial wound!"

John looked back at his eldest and shook his head. Pure rage pulsated through him and he inhaled deeply.

"Let go of me, you fucking bastard!" Dean yelped and tried to punch his dad in the face.

John's eyes widened at Dean's words and before he registered his own action, he had raised his hand and slapped Dean hard across the cheek. Sam winced at the loud smack and looked at the red hand print that was forming on his brother's face. Dad had never slapped any of them before!

"I-I think he's ingested something, Dad..." Sam said slowly, looking up at his father who had pushed Dean against the wall to minimize his wiggling.

"What? What the hell has been going on here, Sammy?"

Sam opened and closed his mouth a few times, feeling like a fish out of water. He knew that Dean was in a lifetime of trouble, but keeping the truth from their father probably wouldn't help any of them!

"You better open that mouth of yours, and tell me what you know, boy!"

Sam flinched slightly at his Dad's outburst and cleared his throat.

"I think Dean went to a party..." he nearly whispered while eyeing the floor.

"You think or you know? Sammy!"

"Alright, fine, he went to a party, and I think he... I'm pretty sure he's hallucinating, so I guess he had some-"

"LSD!" John finished Sam's sentence and turned around to look at his first born.

He had never been this angry with Dean before, and these courses of actions were sure to bring the punishment of the century! Scratch that; it would be the punishment of the millenium! But at the moment John didn't trust himself not to hurt Dean severely, and besides, the boy was obviously still caught in a raging trip where nothing could get to him. After the "talk" John had had with Dean the previous year when he had smoked weed, John had been convinced neither of his children would touch drugs again! Apparently LSD didn't fall into that same category according to Dean!

"I'll get Dean to bed, and you do the same, you hear me Sammy?!"

Sam nodded, too tired and worn out to fight his dad on this one.

It took a lot of force and rope, but John finally managed to get Dean into bed in a position where he couldn't hurt himself and wasn't too uncomfortable. John pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down with a great sigh. Why the hell couldn't he ever catch a break?! If it wasn't the supernatural it was his own troublemakers at home! To John's great relief it took a surprisingly short while for Dean to stop the constant swearing and death threats and drift off to sleep, and John went to bed himself after making sure Dean still couldn't strangle or in any other way harm himself by mistake.

x-x

Sam woke up when he heard his brother calling out for him. He sounded completely freaked out and Sam hurried to Dean's room.

"Sammy, untie me! What the hell is going on?"

Sam squinted at his brother and bit his bottom lip.

"You don't remember what happened last night?"

"Not really... a glimpse here and there, but I sure as hell don't remember you tying me to my fucking bed! Now untie me!"

Sam quickly moved to the bed and started undoing the strong rope that was cuffing his brother to the bed. Dean's eyes grew wide as he spotted the gauze on Sam's injured arm. If Sam got hurt when Dean was in charge Dad would tear him a new one!

"What happened to your arm Sammy?" he asked, a nasty glimpse from the previous night flashing for his eyes.

Sam looked at the floor, not particularly wanting to answer that exact question.

"Answer me, dammit!" Dean ordered as he sat up on the bed, rubbing his sore wrists, while Sam untied his legs.

"Well, umm... you kinda slashed me with your knife" Sam mumbled.

Dean's head whipped up.

"Cut the crap and tell me the truth Sammy! Did you leave the house last night? If Dad finds out he'll kill the both of us!"

"I didn't leave and it _was_ you cutting me..."

Dean stood from the bed and suddenly remembered about the creature he saw chasing him. And then he remembered taking that fucking LSD at the party.

The girl had been so freaking hot and she hadn't hesitated to throw the tiny piece of paper into her mouth before she extended another piece to Dean.

"Have you ever had sex while you were high?" she asked seductively.

Dean gulped as her hand cupped him through his jeans, and he threw her a small smile.

"Well after tonight I guess I will have!" he grinned and without further hesitation put the tiny paper in his mouth.

It took a while for the acid to take effect and at first it had been pretty cool. His senses had been sharper, especially the sense of touch. The girl's wet, warm mouth around him had almost gotten him to his climax, and she would no doubt have succeeded if she hadn't suddenly sprouted long red, dreadlocks and scary white-red eyes! Dean had immediately pushed the girl off him and slugged her in the face for good measure. As she raved around on the floor Dean flew out the room and quickly left the house.

With a snap of his fingers Sam brought Dean back from his train of thoughts. Part of him was still pissed at his big brother for what had happened during the night, but mostly he just felt bad for what he knew was in store for Dean.

"I'm so sorry Sammy!" Dean whispered and pulled his brother in for a hug, "I'm so sorry! I could have really hurt you! I could have... I could have killed you!"

"But you didn't" Sam whispered back, his voice muffled by Dean's shirt.

"No! How the hell did you stop me? And get me tied up?"

Sam cleared his throat and was just about to answer when John showed up in the door.

"He didn't!" the tall man said, "I did!"

Sam felt Dean grow tense.

"Dad..." Dean squeaked, feeling all but 10 years old.

"Sammy go to your room!"

"Please Dad" Sam said in a gentle voice, "nothing really bad happened"

"I don't want to tell you again, Sammy!"

The younger teen freed himself from his brother and passed his father with his eyes glued to the floor.

He heard the door slam shut behind him and sighed as he fled to his room. Sam quickly slapped his headphones on his head and turned on his music just as he heard his Dad's voice thunder through the house.

x-x

Dean felt his pulse sky rocket and he backed up as his father approached him.

"Dad, I-I don't know what to say..."

"Then shut up and listen for once!" John growled at his son while he furrowed his brow.

The anger from last night re-erupted in his chest as he eyed the guilty look on Dean's face.

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, but am I right to assume that you went to a party after I specifically told you to stay home, left your 13-year-old brother alone, did drugs that made you hallucinate, scared Sammy and proceeded to slash him with a knife?!"

John's voice grew louder and louder and Dean subconsciously pulled his shoulders upwards.

"Yes, sir... but-"

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING DEAN? CAN'T I TRUST YOU TO LOOK AFTER YOUR BROTHER WHEN I GO ON A HUNT?"

"You can trust me Dad, but I just-"

"NO BUTS! I REALLY DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT! SAMMY COULD HAVE GOTTEN KILLED BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPIDITY!"

"Dad please..."

John was towering over Dean who had pushed himself up against the wall as his father kept advancing on him. The shouting made Dean feel ashamed and worry about his near future, but when his dad dropped his voice to an almost-whisper Dean felt goosebumps erupt on his arms.

"You knowingly disobeyed a direct order, Dean!" John said.

Dean looked at the floor and sucked in his bottom lip. He was so screwed!

"Bend over the bed!" came the short order.

Dean faltered.

"Dad please! I'm too old for that shit!"

"Can you look me in the eye and tell me you don't have this coming?!"

Dean kept his eyes averted and bit his inner cheek.

"I..."

"As long as you keep acting out like an irresponsible child I'll treat you like one!"

John grabbed Dean by the shirt and flung him over the end of the bed, making him huff in pain as his abdomen hit the wooden frame. Dean inhaled deeply, trying to prepare himself for the impending punishment.

"Drop 'em" John barked as he pulled his belt from the loops.

Dean felt sure his heart had just stopped, and a mix of anger and humiliation washed through him. Before he could stop himself he opened his mouth.

"The hell I will! Dad come on, that's not gonna happen!"

John blinked a few times, not sure he heard his usually quite compliant son refuse a direct order.

"You just bought yourself three more on top of the first 17!"

With those words John quickly unbuttoned Dean's jeans and, none too gently, ripped them down. The tug on the rather tight pants made the boxers underneath slide down as well, and though that hadn't been John's intention he decided to leave them down. Hopefully that would ensure that something like this NEVER happened again!

There was no warm up and John didn't make Dean wait long for the first strike to fall. The belt caught Dean right below the tailbone with a loud THWACK and John narrowed his eyes a bit at the noise. He knew how much this hurt, and the thought of letting 19 more smacks rain down on his first born made him feel awful. Then he thought about what Dean had done, and the next lick fell with even more force than the first one.

By lash number ten Dean couldn't keep stoic any longer and he arched his back at the lash that kissed his upper thighs.

He winced when he heard his father swing his arm again, and his entire body jerked forward as the belt struck an already sore spot on the top of his ass.

"AHH, FUCK!" the teen yelped, "DAD PLEASE! I'M SORRY!"

"Watch your mouth, Dean!" John warned through gritted teeth, "you're halfway there, son."

Dean moaned as the next five strokes worked their way down his already throbbing backside, and he gritted his teeth as he felt John lay his hand on the small of his back.

"The last ones are gonna hurt!"

"Oh and the first 15 were just a fucking walk in the park!" Dean thought, but bit back his sarcastic retort.

Then a blazing trail of fire caught him right where ass met thigh and tears immediately spilled down his cheeks.

"OWW, SHIT!"

John sighed, but decided to let the swearing pass. He could still remember just how much swats to the sit spots stung! John felt Dean's body tremble beneath his hand and knew that his boy was close to sobbing.

The former marine lifted his arm up high and with great force and speed let the remaining smacks fall. Dean lurched forward with each one in an automatic attempt to get away and felt more tears spring from his eyes.

"STOP!" he cried "I'M SO SORRY DAD! I'M SORRY!"

John quickly put his belt back on, and patted his gasping son on the back. Dean heaved for air and felt the knot of guilt in his stomach loosen a bit.

"I'm sorry" he croaked again, wiping the treacherous tears away with the back of his hand, "I'll never do something like that again..."

"All over now, Dean" John said, "everything's forgiven, okay."

Dean couldn't find his voice yet, but nodded as he carefully pulled his boxers up over his crimson, stinging bottom. He stepped out of the jeans and went to get a pair of sweats instead.

"You're grounded for the next month, are we clear?"

"A month!"

John's hand came flying down and caught Dean's sore behind with a tremendous smack that made the teen yelp and jump.

"Aaunh! Yes sir, we're clear..."

Dean nodded frantically and licked his lips.

"Good! And Dean; I hope we don't need to repeat this conversation!"

Dean merely groaned as his dad left the room.

"Breakfast in 20!" John announced on his way out of the room, and Dean closed his eyes thinking of the wooden chairs.

Wouldn't that be peachy...

x-x

...Sam finished his beer and trailed a finger across the thin, nearly invisible scar on his forearm.

"Man, I still hate the word "conversation" to this day!" Dean exclaimed and shook his head.

"Yeah, me too!" Sam added and smiled widely at Laney S. D. as she walked by.

"I feel like sleeping on my stomach just from thinking about that stupid punishment!" Dean groaned and scratched the back of his neck.

Sam raised his eyebrows and smiled at his brother.

"Well, at least you can count your "conversations" with Dad on one hand!"

Dean pondered Sam's announcement for a second and then nodded.

"Yeah, guess I was the perfect son, huh!"

"Jerk!" Sam spat on the verge of laughter.

"Bitch!" Dean shot back, "come on let's get going..."

"Not gonna try to score some LSD?"

"Shut up, Sam!" Dean drawled with a smile and reached out to smack his brother in the back of the head, "no, I guess I learned my lesson about that stuff!"

"Yeah, I bet you did!" Sam thought to himself.

Conversations with John Winchester always seemed to make a long-lasting impression. At least on Dean! Sam had had way too many conversations with his father; more than he cared to admit. But those were other memories, reserved for other nights...

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**Hope you liked it... Make my day and drop me a review with your thoughts :)**

**- Rikke**


	2. Sam's trip to Flagstaff

**A/N: Okay, so I know this one has been done before, but I don't care. It makes for such a good story... Spoilers for 5.16, Dark side of the moon. **

**The usual warnings and disclaimer obviously still stand! Don't own – just borrowing :) **

**Enjoy...**

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**Part 2: Sam's trip to Flagstaff**

Dean eyed the postcard-covered wall with slightly furrowed brows. He had a feeling he should remember this room, but the memory seemed to float tauntingly just out of reach. He turned around and looked at his brother.

"Where are we?" Dean asked, still not recognizing the place.

A small smile graced Sam's face as he looked around.

"No way!" he said, turning towards the sudden sound of a moving dog.

A golden retriever quickly ran to Sam, obviously familiar with his scent, and the younger Winchester happily embraced the animal.

"Bones! Hey, c'mere, c'mere... hey"

The caramel colored dog happily licked Sam's face, Dean still regarding the scene rather confused.

"Bones?" he asked dryly.

"Yeah" Sam answered, "Bones was my dog!"

He freed himself from the enthusiastic retriever to sit down on the couch.

"You-your dog?" Dean inquired while a pizza-box on the coffee table attracted Sam's attention.

He pulled out a slice of pepperoni and fed it to a content Bones.

Dean licked his lips, suddenly pretty sure of their location.

"Is this Flagstaff?"

"Yeah" Sam answered with a grin on his face and returned his focus to the dog, "hey boy..."

Dean couldn't believe his brother's carefree attitude.

"This is a good memory for you?"

"Yeah" Sam answered again, "I mean, I was on my own for two weeks. I lived off of Funyuns and Mr. Pibb!"

Dean nodded to himself a few times, his mood rapidly going sour.

"Wow" he started in a grim voice making his brother look up.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Well, you don't remember, do you? You ran away on my watch!" Dean's look was stern and Sam shifted on his spot.

"I looked _everywhere_ for you!" Dean continued, "I thought you were dead! And when Dad came home...!"

His big brother's words made Sam feel 15 again and a tinge of guilt showed on his face. Dean turned his back on Sam, anger tearing at his insides. How could his brother possibly think of this as a happy memory?!

"Dean, look, I'm sorry... I never thought about it like that!" Sam tried.

Dean balled up his fists. He'd really prefer not going down this road but his temper was flaring.

"Why'd you even run away in the first place, Sam? You knew Dad was gonna kill my ass for letting you get away!" Dean roared.

Now it was Sam's turn to feel the anger awaken.

"Why?" he sneered, making Dean spin around to look at him, "you really don't remember?"

Dean raised his eyebrows and pinched his lips.

"Enlighten me!" he snorted mockingly, making Sam sigh with irritation.

"Fine, I will..."

x-x

...Sam rolled his eyes as John started checking the contents of his duffel. He couldn't believe his dad was actually going to leave him and Dean alone for two weeks to chase a siren with Bobby! Sam had been hunting for more than two years now, being "baptized" into the hunting right after his 13th birthday, and he hadn't been too happy when John had ordered his boys to stay home from this one!

"Come on, Dad!" Sam started through gritted teeth, "we can help you..."

John sighed deeply, rummaging through the bag with unnecessary force.

"I said no, Sammy!"

"It's Sam" the boy announced dryly, "I'm not a little kid anymore!"

In the background Dean shook his head at his usually very smart little brother. John drew in a breath, feeling the fiery Winchester-temper waking up, and Sam quickly continued to cover the slip up about his name.

"Look, I just don't wanna be stuck in this shithole for two more weeks with nothing to do besides scratch my ass! We've already been here for a fucking month!" Sam said, unable to mask his irritation.

The 15-year-old knew that his chances of persuading his father to change his mind were pretty much none-existing but he couldn't help it.

"If you don't stop running that mouth of yours, I'll make sure you'll be plenty occupied with translating Latin!" John sneered, fed up with his youngest son "and you might wanna reconsider all that cussin'!"

"But Dad..."

"Sammy! One more word and we can repeat our conversation from last night!" John boomed, making both Sam and Dean flinch.

"Are we clear, Samuel?"

"Yes, sir!" Sam answered with a scowl, crossing his arms angrily.

John finished searching the duffel for all the important weapons and went to load it in his truck. When the door shut, Dean went to his brother and patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on, Sammy, it'll be fine... We can hustle some pool, get a few beers..."

Sam brushed Dean's hand off of him, not in the mood for his masked pity.

"Better keep quiet, Sam" Dean sighed, "you know Dad never makes idle threats!"

"Come on Dean, don't act like you think it's all good! Why can't he just take us with him?"

"Sammy, just... I don't know. Can't you just do what Dad tells you for once!"

Sam shot up from the couch and whipped around to eye his older brother.

"WHAT?" he yelled angrily, "NO! Not when what he wants is a load of fucking bullshit!"

Sam saw the expression on Dean's face and quickly spun around. John was standing in the door, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.

"Dad..." Dean started, "it's-"

"Shut it, Dean, Sammy can speak for himself!"

Dean contemplated arguing but one last look from his father made him bite his lip and stuff his hands down his pockets. When Sam so obviously dug his own grave Dean couldn't do much to help anyway!

Sam swallowed and eyed his dad cautiously.

"Go to your room, Sammy, I'll be right up!" John's voice was eerily calm, and to his great dismay Sam felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

When the boy didn't immediately comply John sighed and thundered a "NOW, SAMUEL!" that made both boys jump. Sam reluctantly moved towards the stairs.

"Why'd you have kids in the first place if you'll just leave us behind every other hunt!" Sam muttered angrily under his breath.

He felt certain that no one had heard his words and was genuinely startled when John advanced on him in two quick steps and grabbed him roughly by the back of his shirt. John spun his son around and pressed him against the wall. Sam gasped and refused to look his father in the eye.

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT WHENEVER I LEAVE YOU TWO BEHIND IT'S FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION, BOY!" John roared.

Sam's words had made John both furious and sad, and he wished he could bring his boys with him all the time. But with the siren's primary prey being young men it was too risky having Sam and Dean around for this hunt. Maybe if Sam had had more experience, John thought.

"Dad, I..." Sam didn't know how to continue.

"I TOLD YOU WHAT ONE MORE WORD WOULD GET YOU, SAMMY!"

"Well, you weren't exactly supposed to hear it..." Sam proclaimed, not too happy with himself at the moment.

John looked sternly at his youngest before pulling him with him up the stairs. He released his grip on Sam when they entered the bedroom and John calmly scanned the room for the implement of his choice.

x-x

Downstairs Dean winced as he heard Sam's displeasured cries. He swallowed hard at the thought of Dad reigniting the fire on his brother's ass. When John Winchester decided to apply some hand to ass, belt to ass or whatever-was-around to ass it sure as hell wasn't pleasant, and being on the receiving end two days in a row didn't exactly help! Right now it sounded like Sam was being subjected to whatever-was-around to ass and Dean couldn't block out the pained yelps now reaching him. Sam had never been one to take a punishment too stoically!

x-x

When Dad finally stopped, Sam was shaking and drew a deep breath to calm himself. Fucking hell! His backside was burning and buzzing and he couldn't hide the tears streaming down his face. Sam immediately decided to dispose of every single ruler he owned. The damn things made horrible instruments for Dad to roast his ass with, Jesus F-ing Christ, he wouldn't be able to sit down ever again!

John reached out to pull his youngest in for a comforting hug and felt a tiny stab to the heart when Sam pulled away with a small grunt.

"Sam..." John tried gently.

He hated leaving for a hunt after punishing one of his sons, and though the comfort of a hug or pat to the back was usually meant for the one physically hurting, this time John was the one in need of the contact.

"Just leave me alone Dad..." Sam spat through sniffles.

John almost extended his hand towards Sam again, but decided against it. When Sam this forcefully turned down the offered hug John wouldn't gain anything by forcing it.

x-x

The angry roar of Dad's new truck could be heard from the driveway and Dean sighed as he trudged up the stairs. Sam had refused to come down and say goodbye to their father, and Dean hadn't had to look hard at John to see the hurt in his eyes. Damn Sam's stubbornness, Dean thought to himself. He knocked on the door and entered the small room.

Sam was lying on his bed facing the wall.

"Go away, Dean!" he huffed.

"I told you to shut up, you idiot" Dean offered gently, his voice laced with compassion.

He bit his lip as he looked at his brother. Sam had made short process of wearing jeans after his dad left the room, and Dean squinted at the angry red stripes visible on his brother's ass and thighs.

As if he could sense his brother's eyes on him Sam sighed deeply and carefully turned around. He winced when his scorched backside brushed against the duvet and he sent Dean an angry glare.

"Leave. Me. Alone!"

"Fine, suit yourself..." Dean answered in a cold voice, "I'll order some pizza for dinner" he continued, making sure to soften his voice. It hadn't been his intention to sneer at his brother. Dean knew how Sam got after getting his rear blistered, and contrary to Dean's own feelings regarding Dad's punishments Sam could remain angry for quite a while!

x-x

Sam was lying awake in the dark, listening to Dean's rhythmic breathing. He had been asleep for quite some time and Sam briefly considered whether he should just leave now or if it would be better to wait. The fact that Dean was a pretty light sleeper convinced Sam to wait until morning to put his plan to works.

He smiled to himself at the thought of what the next day would bring. Freedom! Independence! And lots of Funyuns and Mr. Pibb!

x-x

"Come on Sam!" Dean yawned as the clock's annoying beeping woke him up, "gotta get...up"

Dean furrowed his brows at the empty bed on the other side of the room. Since when did Sam wake up before the alarm clock and actually get out of bed!

The smell of pancakes lured Dean downstairs and the sight of a fully set table complete with coffee, toast, scrambled eggs and a growing stack of pancakes made him raise his brows in wonder. Maybe Dad had hit Sam so hard yesterday that his brain had been rattled out of place!

Nonetheless Dean sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee while stuffing a pancake in his mouth.

"Tho, ow're yo, Thammy? Yo theemed pithed lathtn night!" he gurgled through his stuffed mouth.

Sam turned around at the stove, eyeing his brother with a rather bemused look on his face.

"What?" he asked with a smile, although he already knew what Dean had asked.

The older Winchester quickly munched his pancake and gulped down the coffee to force the pancake down his throat.

"How are you?" he asked again, "you were fucking pissed last night!"

"Well, Dad was being an idiot, so..."

"You really should have said goodbye though, Sammy... What if Dad doesn't come home!"

The thought that Sam had made breakfast because he felt horrible for talking to Dad the way he had, struck Dean and his heart dropped to his stomach. In reality Sam felt guilty for what he was going to put Dean through when he left, but he would never tell his brother that!

Sam sighed and took a bite of a thick pancake.

"Dad'll be fine Dean. He always is... and my ass didn't really feel like saying goodbye after being repeatedly introduced to my fucking ruler!"

Dean choked back a small laugh. He knew exactly how Sam felt. Well, maybe Dad had never taken a ruler to his ass, but in an especially creative moment he had used a spatula to get his point across!

x-x

Dean finished his second cup of coffee and smiled at his brother.

"You'd make an awesome housewife Samantha!" he exclaimed with a mischievous smile and quickly slid off his chair before the flying pancake hit him in the face.

"I'll hit the showers, Sammy... just leave this and go get ready for school, I'll clean it up when we get home"

Sam nodded and felt another rush of guilt. But he couldn't let this stop him. He was going to get away. Today. From Dad. From hunting. From everything.

Sam quickly bolted up the stairs when he heard Dean turn on the water. He needed to pack the most necessary stuff before Dean finished his shower. Some clean clothes, a book and a knife found their way into Sam's bag before he ran downstairs again to put the scrambled eggs into a small box and wrap the last pizza in saran wrap before stuffing it down his bag alongside a can of salt and the money from the emergency stash that was always established wherever they were staying.

x-x

Dean entered the kitchen just as Sam was zipping up the backpack.

"Ready to go, kiddo?" Dean asked and ran a hand through his wet hair.

"Yeah" Sam answered shortly, a gnawing sensation already filling his stomach.

The brother's went to the black, shiny Impala and Dean traced his hand across the side of the car. He still had trouble believing she was his now!

"Let's roll..." he said and got in the Chevy.

Dean revved the engine and pulled out the driveway with an infamous roar. He turned on the music and grinned as AC/DC's "Back in Black" blasted through the speakers.

x-x

"You don't have to pick me up today" Sam said, looking at Dean as he grabbed the bag next to him, "I'm gonna stay after school to work on a project."

"Okay" came the short answer, "...nerd!"

Sam licked his lips and sent his brother a glare.

"Jerk!"

"Bitch!" Dean laughed, "See you later, Sam"

Sam raised a hand at Dean as he drove off to get to the auto shop were he had worked for the last month. When the car disappeared around the corner Sam hurried to get inside the school. Another pang of guilt washed through Sam's body, but he pushed the feeling away, focusing on the next step of his plan; getting out of class in a way that wouldn't cause suspicion.

The bell rang as he went down the hall, and Sam quickly grabbed the small container with the leftover scrambled eggs. He stuffed it in his mouth, chewing fast to get the breakfast even more gooey, and walked in to the classroom.

x-x

Mrs. Carter had only been teaching for two minutes when Sam pressed his hands to his stomach and started groaning. He moaned a bit before fake-barfing the well-chewed scrambled eggs onto the table. The girl next to Sam immediately pushed her chair back with a disgusted look on her face.

"Eww!" she whined and looked close to puking, herself.

"Samuel" the teacher said in a concerned voice, "you better get down to the nurse"

"Okay, Mrs. Carter. Thank you!" Sam said weakly, sending his teacher a dazed look.

He should get a freaking Academy Award for this, Sam thought as he rushed out of school and went to the bus station.

x-x

So far everything had gone smoothly and when Sam sat on the bus to Flagstaff, three bus tickets in his pocket, he finally started to relax a bit. He would get a nice head start on his trip, seeing as Dean wouldn't expect him home until nightfall. Sam had quickly decided that Bobby's old cabin in Arizona would be the perfect place to hide since no one would expect him to stay at such an obvious location. Besides, they were currently living in New Mexico so the trip to Flagstaff wouldn't take too long.

Sam had been to the cabin a few times with Dean when they had stayed with Bobby a few years back, and he knew that the small house would be equipped with the basic necessities such as toilet paper, soap and the like.

Sam rested his head on the window and smiled to himself. So far independence rocked!

x-x

The sun was setting when Sam finally walked the last mile to the cabin. He carried two large bags full of food supplies, and nearly stumbled on a root he couldn't see for the groceries in his arms.

The cabin was placed in the woods and Sam happily retrieved the key from the hollow tree nearby. He was just about to unlock the door when a noise behind him startled the teen.

Sam dropped the bags to the ground and quickly pulled out his knife as he spun around to face whatever was moving in the woods.

Sam's racing heart immediately slowed down when he spotted the creature making the noise. It was a dog! A caramel colored retriever was digging furiously at the ground a few feet away. Sam cautiously approached the animal.

"Hey boy" he said gently, trying to sense the dog's mood and whether getting even closer would be smart or not.

The dog seized its digging for a moment to look at the boy. It wagged its tail a few times and let the dark haired teen squat down to pet it. When the friendly tone had been established, the dog returned its focus to digging in the ground, and Sam tilted his head to see what the dog had discovered.

"What have you got there, boy" Sam asked and stroked the dog's soft fur.

He looked down the hole and spotted a large bone. The dog happily grabbed the stained prize from the hole and turned to Sam.

The boy patted the retriever on the head and searched the dog's neck for a tag, but didn't find one. Sam smiled to himself. He had always wished for a pet.

"So what are we gonna name you, boy?" Sam said and sent the dog in front of him an asking look.

The retriever let the bone fall to lick Sam's hand and after securing the white bone in its mouth again trudged to the cabin door.

Sam went to unlock the door and then picked up the fallen groceries.

"I think I'll name you Bones!"

The animal was already lying on the couch and sent Sam a happy look.

"I guess that means you're staying..."

x-x

Dean was pacing the living room, feeling the fear seeping through him. It was now pitch black and Sam still wasn't home.

"Dammit, Sammy!" Dean mumbled and wiped at his sweaty neck.

When his watch had shown 8.15 p.m Dean had decided something was wrong and had searched the town for his little brother. The school, the library, the parks. He had looked everywhere, but to no avail. Sam was nowhere to be found and Dean had headed for home, certain that something bad had happened! The world was full of disgusting creatures, one scarier than the other, and Dean cursed his knowledge of the supernatural. Right now ignorance would narrow down the possible offenders by huge numbers! Sam could definitely protect himself, but being 15 the hormones were raging, often making the youngest Winchester think he was invincible.

Dean bit his lip as he analyzed the idea of calling Dad. In the end he decided to wait. He would keep searching for Sam on his own at least throughout the night before calling John. Losing Sam during the first 24 hours of his watch wouldn't exactly sway his father, and Dean figured that if he could just find Sam Dad didn't even have to know about this and his ass wouldn't be grass!

x-x

At 3.45 a.m Dean was sitting in the Impala, back from his third trip around the area. Maybe it was the creepy, gusting winds, the vast darkness or the fact that Dean hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, but his heart was hammering in his chest, endless, bloody scenarios of his baby brother's brutal death playing in his mind! Fucking hell, this was so bad! Sam was his responsibility. It was his job to keep his little brother safe and he had already failed at that! Dean rested his head on the steering wheel and jumped when his forehead hit the horn, sending a loud honk through the silent night.

x-x

Dean woke up on the couch at 10.55 a.m. He had finally admitted to himself that driving the Impala wasn't safe in his exhausted condition and he had dropped to the couch as soon as he entered the house, his eyes closed even before he hit the cushions.

In the afternoon Dean's fears had been somewhat replaced by rage. He had searched a great area in and around town, talked to everyone he had come across and conducted a ritual that would reveal any supernatural activity in a 10 mile radius. Nothing had brought him any closer to finding Sam, and when he had plopped down in a kitchen chair among the dried up leftovers from breakfast, an unpleasant thought suddenly struck Dean. What if Sam's weird behavior the previous morning hadn't been because he had chewed out Dad but because he was planning on leaving and wanted to appease his own guilty conscience! If that was the case Dean was going to kick Sam's ass into next week!

Dean had quickly phoned Sam's school and asked for Mrs. Carter. A few minutes later he heard the sound of heels entering the room and the phone was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mrs. Carter. This is Dean Winchester..."

"Oh, Dean, hello. How is Sam feeling today? I sent him to the nurse yesterday, but he never showed, so I figured he had gotten sick again and went home"

Dean felt an explosion of anger in his stomach. That sneaky, little ass! He _had_ planned it all! Dean cleared his throat and drew a breath.

"Well, Sam never came home, so I just wanted to hear how he was acting yesterday... Guess he's still good at faking sick!"

"Oh no" the middle aged teacher sighed, "I'm sorry to hear that, Dean, do you think he's run away?"

"Pretty sure of it, actually. It wouldn't be the first time! I better continue looking for him then!"

Dean hung up the phone, his nerves jittering. For Sam's sake Dean hoped he was far enough away to make Dean calm down on the way, otherwise Sam would be dead!

x-x

Sam was enjoying his new way of life to the fullest. He started the day with a long hike in the woods, Bones happily running around him.

When they got back to the cabin Sam prepared breakfast, making sure to "drop" nearly half his omelet to the floor so Bones could clean up.

The two friends spent rest of the day relaxing in the sun, only doing whatever they pleased. Sam munched away on Funyuns, thoughts of Dean and his Dad popping up a few times. The youngest Winchester made sure to push the guilty feelings as far away as possible, determined not to let anything ruin his newly gained freedom!

x-x

It had been four days since Sam's disappearance and Dean was a wreck. His emotions ranged from pure rage to nail-biting frustration to a deep, heartbreaking fear. He had continuously expanded the searched area but had yet to find anything that could lead him to Sam. He clearly felt his brain being dazed from the fear and Dean was afraid he might miss important clues. This was nothing near a normal hunt! Chasing his baby brother was something else entirely. No matter how much Dean tried to reason with himself and look at everything as a "job" his heart got in the way, making everything seem that much harder.

Dean jumped when the phone suddenly rang. He had dreaded this call ever since the first night where he decided against calling Dad, thereby sealing his own fate! But right now Dad could yell and threaten all he wanted, all that mattered to Dean was getting Sam back, safe and sound!

The teen took a deep breath and squinted as he picked up the phone.

"Hello..." he said, his voice already betraying him by cracking a bit.

"Hi Dean" John greeted, "things alright with you and Sammy?"

"Errm..." Dean bit his bottom lip, not quite sure how to handle this.

His dad immediately caught on to Dean's doubts and his next words came out in a low growl.

"You better tell me what's wrong right now or I'll make sure you regret it!"

"Yessir" Dean answered quickly, feeling his pulse sky rocket "Dad, I... Sammy h-he... he ran away..."

"He WHAT?!"

The infamous John Winchester-roar made Dean flinch.

"He ran away Dad. I've looked everywhere for him, even conducted the ritual to reveal supernatural activity..."

"Well, he can't have gotten that far yet, Dean..."

Dean could now hear Bobby in the background. He sounded worried, and John obviously lowered the phone for a second to fill in the older hunter.

"Balls!"

Dean heard his "uncle" hiss through gritted teeth, and he couldn't help but smile despite the severity of the situation. The thing he had to tell his dad next wiped the smile completely off his face, though.

"Dad, Sam's been missing for four days. I didn't w..."

"WHAT THE HELL DEAN!" John all but screamed, "YOUR BROTHER RAN AWAY FOUR DAYS AGO, AND YOU CHOSE NOT TO INFORM YOUR FATHER! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, BOY!"

"I'm sorry" Dean said miserably, "I thought I could find him by myself..."

"YOU'RE SURE AS HELL GONNA BE SORRY WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

The way his dad lowered his voice next, made Dean think that Bobby had interfered, forcing John to relax a bit. Threatening Dean wasn't going to lead the way to Sam.

John cleared his throat and sighed into the phone. His voice was shaky, making Dean's guilty conscience feel even worse!

"Alright Dean, we'll deal with this later. Have you checked if Sam bought a train or bus ticket?"

Dean's jaw dropped. How the _hell_ could he have been so stupid!

"No sir..." the boy answered, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment from the rookie mistake.

"Well, get your ass in gear and see to it! Bobby and I will be on our way immediately. We're about a day away, but I'll get us there as fast as possible. You call me if anything important happens, got that?"

"Yessir" Dean quickly answered, "see you tomorrow, Dad"

He ended the call and almost slapped himself for his unforgivable mistake. How could he not have looked into how Sam had escaped town! Assbutt!

Dean ran to the Impala and raced to the bus station. The lady behind the counter, squinted at the picture Dean held between two fingers.

"When did you say he would have bought the ticket?"

"Wednesday..." Dean answered, crossing his fingers that the lady could help.

"I wasn't at work that day. Let me get Doreen..."

The heavy woman left the room, but returned a second later with a younger, black haired assistant.

"Can I help?" she asked and sent Dean a sweet smile.

He held out the picture of Sam again, his heart skipping a beat as the woman in front of him clearly searched her memory.

"Yes, he was here... bought three tickets. Umm, let me see. One for Albuquerque, one for Las Cruces and one for Flagstaff"

Dean thanked the women and quickly went to the Impala to call Dad. The news of Sam were a double edged sword. On one hand they now had clues as to where to look, but the fact that Sam had bought three tickets – clearly to mislead his followers – pissed John off to a whole new degree of angry!

"Why these three cities?" John asked both Dean and Bobby when he had calmed down a bit.

Dean could hear Bobby in the background, and though he couldn't make out all the words, he felt certain that they talked about Bobby's cabin in Flagstaff.

"But that's too obvious" Dean said to his dad, "it would be too risky going to Bobby's place..."

John agreed with his eldest son and it was soon decided that he and Dean would head to Albuquerque, and that Bobby should go to Las Cruces.

Seeing as Dean's solo-hunt for Sam hadn't exactly gone too smoothly, John didn't want him making any other slips, and so both John and Dean set the course for the same city, while Bobby headed south to Las Cruces.

x-x

Bones was snoring softly on the foot of the bed and Sam stretched his long, lean form with a satisfied yawn. This was the life! It had been thirteen days and Sam had developed a certain way of working through the days. A hike or run in the woods, breakfast and shower, some reading, maybe a trip to town and then all afternoon to relax with Bones and his books. Oh right, and a beer! Sam had already taken a liking to a special brand and felt all grown up and independent, sitting on the small couch with a happy, four-legged best friend, Funyuns, Mr. Pibb and a cold beer next to him!

There were no Dad or Dean to boss him around, constantly telling him to do this or do that, make salt rounds, clean the weapons, practice Latin, yadayadayada! Never again, Sam swore to himself, never again. This was his life and no one should tell him how to live it!

x-x

Bobby was on the road when he got the phone call. He cussed to himself as he pulled over to the side of the road. It had been a rough nine days, and nothing had gone to plan. Neither for him nor for John and Dean. The leads they thought they could trust turned out to be a load of bullcrap and Sam was still roaming free. If he was alive that was! Bobby's stomach churned as he thought of the boy. He felt like throttling Sam, then hugging him like there was no tomorrow! Bobby was by no means a religious man, but these past days he had sent more than one prayer upwards, just in case!

The old hunter picked up his phone.

"Singer..." he said in a hoarse voice, "yeah, I do, why? No, I'm in New Mexico. Rufus dammit, just tell me what you've got!"

And then suddenly Bobby felt ten pounds lighter. Rufus had gotten a call by a friend who had seen someone occupying Bobby's old cabin, and Rufus felt almost certain that that someone had to be Sam Winchester. He had never met the boy, but the description seemed to fit.

As soon as Bobby had thanked Rufus, he called John and soon all three of them were headed to Flagstaff, Arizona. Hopefully this nightmare would soon be over!

x-x

Sam woke from Bones' low growl and his senses immediately sharpened. Someone was just outside the cabin, and Sam grabbed the knife from the small table. He felt his heart race in his chest and felt thankful that he salted the doors and windows. Oh, and having a dog with him was kind of nice too!

When a key was inserted in the lock and the door swung open Sam felt a small squeak escape him. What he saw in the doorway was a hundred time worse than any werewolf, siren or rugaru combined! He was staring at the angry form of John Winchester, and a fleeting thought of his dad resembling a raging bull made Sam wince.

"SAMUEL WINCHESTER!" the man in front of him rumbled.

Sam scrambled to his feet and couldn't help but back up a few steps. John quickly entered the house, followed by Dean and Bobby, and took three long steps to reach his youngest boy. John grabbed Sam and hugged him hard.

"We thought you were dead, Sam!" John said slowly, his voice so low that only Sam could hear.

Sam didn't answer, his face being squashed by his father's torso, making it difficult to breathe. All kinds of emotions were running through him and Sam felt almost dizzy when it dawned on him just how scared both his dad, Dean and Bobby had been. He never meant for them to feel hurt, he just wanted freedom and independence. He wanted normalcy for once in his life! Although living alone in a cabin at 15 with a stray dog as your only company probably didn't fit that term!

When John let go of Sam, Bobby stepped forward and cuffed the boy upside his head.

"What's gotten into you, ya damn idjit!" he growled and raised his eyebrows.

"Ow, Bobby... I just wanted... it was... errm"

Sam couldn't look the older hunter in the eye and quickly let his gaze wander. His eyes fell on his brother and Sam swallowed hard. He had never seen Dean this angry! His face was pale from lack of sleep, his eyes tired but still shooting daggers at his baby brother.

"Dean, I-" Sam began meekly, but was cut off.

"Shut your damn cake hole, Sammy! What the fuck's wrong with you, why'd you run, you assbutt?!"

This time Dean was the one on the receiving end of a smack to the head. He threw his father a glance and averted his eyes.

"Watch your mouth, Dean, don't make matters worse for yourself!" John said in a hoarse voice.

"So you and Bobby get to be pissed, but I just have to stay quiet. What a load of bull..." Dean blurted out before getting control of his anger.

John felt his cheeks heat up and he took a deep breath. The famous Winchester-temper was definitely hereditary!

"Go wait in your car!" he barked.

"But-"

"That was a direct order Dean!"

Dean sighed in defeat, feeling like putting on a huge pout and puppy dog eyes, but he knew that those things only ever worked for Sam.

"Yes, sir..." he mumbled and trudged to the Impala.

x-x

Bones was watching the unfolding scene curiously. He clearly sensed that Sam knew the people who were in he cabin, but he also felt Sam's discomfort and so gave a small bark to reassure his new best friend that everything would be okay.

Sam patted Bones on the head.

"So, what, you stole a dog Sammy?" John asked dryly as he looked at the caramel colored animal.

Sam raised his hands dismissively and shook his head.

"No sir, he found me. He was digging in the ground when I got here... Please Dad, let me keep him!"

John sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that Sam had always wanted a pet, damn the boy had been pestering him with it since he was five, but constantly being on the road didn't exactly go well with being a dog-owner.

"Not gonna happen, Sammy, you know that..."

Sam pursed his lips, managing a top of the world pout, but he knew the battle was lost. A "John Winchester no" was final. Besides, he was in for the worst ass-kicking ever, and it wouldn't be like his dad to throw in a reward like Bones when his son had done something so obviously against the rules!

"We'll bring him to my place at first, Sam" Bobby said and looked at the boy in front of him, "but I don't think Rumsfeld will take to well to getting a buddy, so I'll put him up for adoption"

Sam nodded, his pout and sad eyes cutting right into Bobby's heart.

"Pack your stuff Sammy" John ordered gruffly, "we're leaving in ten..."

x-x

Sam felt absolutely miserable. His stomach was doing indefinite flips when he thought of his impending punishment. The last one had been freaking horrible, the stupid ruler leaving welts for days, and Sam didn't doubt for a second that the one coming his way now would be even worse!

John threw Sam' bag in his truck and turned to look at his boys. Dean was leaning on the Impala sending his brother furious looks.

"Sam, you ride with Bobby" John ordered and turned his gaze to Dean, "and _you_ follow me!"

Bobby, Sam and Bones took off first, and John pointed a finger at his eldest.

"We have a long ride in front of us, so busting your ass already won't be fair, but when I pull over you better damn well follow, you got that!"

Dean felt his heart sink, but nodded. Getting your ass roasted on the side of the road was too freaking embarrassing, but waiting till they got to the motel of the night and risking his dad performing his smackdown in earshot of Bobby wasn't much better!

So Dean got in the Impala and started up the engine. He licked his lips, trying to focus on the fact that he had his brother back. However it did nothing to appease him and Dean turned on his music to distract himself from the angry knot in his gut. Led Zeppelin blasted through the speakers and when "Stairway to Heaven" started playing Dean gulped to himself. He was going to need a fucking "Escalator to Heaven" seeing as his dad would ensure he wouldn't walk comfortably for at least a week!

x-x

They had driven for hours when John decided that driving the last miles of the day on a sore ass fit the crime. To his right he spotted a small group of willow trees and John quickly pulled over. This would work fine!

Dean followed in the Impala and swallowed hard when he spotted the trees next to the road. He had a hunch that his dad would make use of nature in this punishment!

"Go cut a switch!" John demanded when he was standing in front of Dean.

"Yes sir" Dean sighed and sucked in his lower lip as he went to find a branch the right width.

Dean handed over the dreaded implement, not feeling too confident at the moment. This kind of punishment would be a first for Dean, but John had told his boys of the switchings he had been subjected to as a teen, and both Dean and Sam had sincerely hoped they would never find themselves in that position.

"Bend over the hood of my truck, Dean. And lose the pants!"

"Aw, Dad, come on! We're in the middle of the road!"

"Are you seriously gonna fight me on this, Dean?!"

Dean saw the look on his father's face and quickly decided that fighting would be fucking suicidal! He shook his head slightly and unbuckled his belt.

Dean lowered himself over the hood and gritted his teeth. He heard his dad whoosh the switch through the air and felt a wave of nausea wash over him. This would hurt like a bitch!

"Okay, Dean" John said "you've got 19 coming!"

Dean had already suspected that much. The amount of smacks usually correlated with the age of the offender, and Dean knew he wouldn't get through this ass-whipping without tears. The sickening noise of the switch made Dean brace himself and he jumped as the first stroke branded his boxer-clad ass with a burning, red stripe.

Dean was usually good at keeping quiet and remaining stoic for most of his punishments, but when the fifth lick caught Dean on the upper thighs he couldn't keep the pained yelp from escaping him. Holy shit, this hurt! And he still had 14 lashes waiting!

When John laid down the ninth blazing trail, Dean was panting and tears were spilling down his cheeks.

"Ahh, Dad, no!"

John waited a few extra seconds before pulling back his arm again. He steeled his heart, knowing full well what kind of pain he was causing his first born, and then let the switch kiss Dean's sit spots. The stroke emitted a loud cry of pain.

"FUUUCK, AHAOWW! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, PLEASE STOP!"

Both John and Dean were surprised by Dean's outburst. He never pleaded for his dad to stop, at least not half way through the punishment, but the switch was really doing its job on his poor, stinging ass. This was freaking torture!

"There are nine left Dean. It's gonna hurt like hell, but you'll survive, I promise you that much!"

Dean took a deep, shaky breath and closed his eyes.

"Just get it over with" he exclaimed through gritted teeth and heard his dad pull his arm back again.

When John finally threw the switch on the ground Dean was a mess. No doubt this had been the worst "conversation" he had ever had with Dad, and it took several moments for the teen to pull himself together. Usually he would kick off his pants and make sure to nurse his blistered rear by lying on his belly for a few hours, but this time he had to sit in the Impala and drive! For the first time ever Dean wished that he didn't have his own car and could just lie in the truck, but sadly that was not the case.

"There should be a cheap motel approximately an hour away from here, okay sport?" John said gently, looking at his sniffling son.

Dean just nodded, not trusting himself to speak yet. He carefully walked to the Impala, the welts on the crease right where ass met thigh making his movements slow and painful. Dean gasped loudly and winced when his scorched bottom made contact with the leather seat of his baby.

"Well won't this ride be awesome!" Dean thought sarcastically and followed his dad down the road.

x-x

The motel was rather lousy, the walls paper thin, the bathroom ancient and the beds creaky. Dean and Sam shared a room as usual, but for the moment Dean was alone, nursing his still fiery, throbbing backside. John had grabbed Sam by the scruff of his neck as soon as he and Dean reached the motel and had promised him the punishment of his lifetime. And Dean was sure it was! Bobby had gone off to get some food, conveniently letting John and Sam have some kind of privacy, but the gesture was rather symbolic seeing as Dean could easily hear Sam howl and beg through the wall.

x-x

Sam was hugging the bedspread tightly, his knuckles white, as John took his belt to him. Sam had expected that much, but not the number of lashes! He had felt certain that Dad would redden his ass with his hard, calloused hand and then bring down 15 agonizing lashes with his belt. The first part had been correct, and when John shook his hand to get out the sting Sam was already gasping, the first tears rolling treacherously down his face. And then John had made his heart sink. Well, more like kill it off completely!

"You're getting 29 with my belt, Sam!"

John had squinted lightly, expecting the indignant protests from his youngest.

"29! Dad, that's too much! I didn't hurt anybody, I didn't get hurt myself! Nothing happened!"

"I would say you hurt three people rather badly, Sam! We thought you were dead! And I'm sure Dean feels that you're responsible for his ass getting handed to him! 29! One for each year of your life, one for each day you were missing! Over the bed, NOW!"

Sam furrowed his brow, the puppy dog eyes emerging reflexively. He didn't even know he was pouting as well, and John had to cover a small smile. Samuel Winchester was the master of indignant sulking!

Sam considered further arguing, his rebellious nature already hating being back in the claws of his dad, but his logic made him nosedive onto the bed, his pants dropping to his knees without even being told.

And then the yelping began. Sam was sure Dad had never, ever, EVER hit him this hard! And 29 seemed completely ridiculous. It might as well have been 100!

A particularly nasty blow had Sam jerking violently forward so he banged his hipbone on the frame of the bed. The belt had caught him right on the undercurve, and as if that wasn't enough the end of the hated leather strap had wrapped around his side leaving a burning trail of fire.

"AARHAHAOOW" the boy howled and felt the nauseating pain wave run through him, "DAD I'M SO SORRY, PLEASE! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN. I PROMISE!

"Glad to hear it, Sammy, cause if there is a next time, you'll get the belt every other day for a month!"

Sam groaned into the bed as the next lick kissed his thighs and he promised himself that there would NOT be a next time. His ass would never forgive him, then!

x-x

Both Winchester-boys were lying on their stomachs, casting quick looks at each other. Sam was finally the first to break the silence.

"Dean, I'm really sorry! I... yeah, I'm just sorry."

"Shut up!" Dean answered, making Sam's heart drop to his stomach.

If Dean was still this angry Sam didn't know how to rebuild the broken trust. He felt his throat tighten and damned his attempt at freedom. It had been two awesome weeks, but family seemed to always catch up with him, making his guilty conscience punish him!

"Dean!" Sam said, his emotions clearly showing in his tone of voice.

"I said shut up!" Dean exclaimed again, making Sam's eyes swim with tears.

"Bitch!" the older brother then added and turned his bright, green eyes towards Sam.

A humongous weight was lifted off of Sam's shoulders and he returned his brother's small smile.

"You are such a jerk!" he sighed.

"Oh, I'm the jerk! You're responsible for my ass being so scorched you can fry bacon back there!"

"Well, you know, my conversation with Dad wasn't exactly awesome, so let's just drop the argument and agree that I'm a bitch and you're a jerk..."

"Fine... bitch!"

"... goodnight...jerk..."

x-x

… Dean blinked a few times and looked at his brother. Fine, so maybe he got why Sam had felt the need for freedom all those years ago, but the memory of how much his ass had hurt for the following week made Dean wince. That punishment had been the last walloping Dad had ever laid on him, and that thought made him feel girlishly mushy! Dean cleared his throat a few times. Damn this chick flick moment!

Sam looked at Dean, feeling strangely torn about the memory. Sure it had felt great being on his own, but he had really done a number on both his brother, father and surrogate uncle. And his ass! Sam opened his mouth to say something, but Dean gave him a short look and turned around.

"Let's roll..." he said and Sam sighed.

He got off the couch and patted Bones on the head, giving the dog one last loving squeeze.

"Stay" he said and started towards the door, "Bones-y, stay!"

Sam joined Dean outside and looked around. Neither one said anything, but both brothers seemed to be thinking the same thing. If this memory was the standard for this trip to heaven, it was going to be a long day!

* * *

**Okay then... I think that was it. My longest one shot yet... As always feedback makes my day, so be awesome and leave me a review with your thoughts :)**

**- Rikke**


	3. The worst girlfriend Sam ever had

**A/N: Just wanted to take a second and thank you guys for the favs and follows and for the awesome reviews :) I really appreciate it! It means more than you think...**

**Now, onwards with the story... This one is inspired by 5.11, Sam, Interrupted, where Dean states that Sam's had worse girls than Wendy from the psychiatric hospital.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing new here, don't own the boys – which sucks – just bringing them out to play.**

**Enjoy :D**

* * *

**Part 3: The worst girlfriend Sam ever had**

Sam let out a small snort of laughter to himself looking at Dean chatting up the semi-pretty bartender. She was the only female in the bar under the age of 45 and Dean, being more horny than ever, had decided to give it a go. As he had said before he left the table: She's better than that waitress from Tampa! Sam didn't really have a comeback for that; this one was definitely better than the waitress from Tampa! Anything would be better than the waitress from Tampa!

Sam took a swig of his beer and scanned the room for other remotely interesting things to watch. His eyes caught the ugliest decoration he had ever seen and he was going to check it out when a loud slap suddenly echoed through the room. Sam turned around just in time to see his brother march back to their table.

"What- "

"Shut up Sammy!" Dean sneered in a low voice and grabbed his leather jacket, "we're leaving!"

Sam couldn't help but smile when his brother rubbed the red hand print on his cheek. It wasn't often that Dean couldn't sway the ladies and he certainly wasn't used to being the one getting rejected!

x-x

Dean threw the car keys on the table in the motel room and plopped down on his bed. He was obviously still in a pissy mood and grunted approvingly when Sam tossed him a bottle of beer. He immediately opened it and downed almost all of it.

"You really don't handle rejection well, Dean!" Sam teased and received an evil glare and a pillow in the face as an answer.

"Shut up!"

"First there was the waitress in Tampa and now you're turned down by a semi-hot, 40-year-old. You're losing your touch, man!"

"Oh yeah, 'cause there haven't been 50 hotties in between those two!" Dean said sarcastically, "and you're one to talk anyway. What about your awesome summer with that norse mythology chick!"

Sam blushed slightly and took a long sip of his own beer. That had been one crazy summer...

x-x

...Dean sighed to himself when he finally heard the front door close softly. If Dad found out, he would no doubt go all ape on Sam. Staying out until 3.00 wasn't exactly following protocol! Especially on a school night! They had been living in the same town for nearly a month now, and John had told them that they would stay put throughout the summer so Sam could finish high school in a proper manner.

"Where the hell have you been Sammy?" Dean asked when his younger brother tried slipping undetected into their shared room.

"Holy shit, Dean, you almost gave me a fucking heart attack!"

"If Dad finds out you're staying out this late, he's gonna kill you, slow and painful, so maybe a heart attack is preferable!"

Sam quickly stepped out of his pants and threw his shirt on the floor before jumping in to bed.

"I'm 18 now, Dad can't tell me when to get back... besides I was on a date..."

Dean's eyes widened in the dark. Sam hadn't been on a date in ages. actually, the last girl Dean remembered Sam crushing on was some girl named Amy, and that was a few years back now. The fact that Sam had stayed out til 3.00 on a school night made Dean think that this girl had to be extraordinary. School was very important to Sam, to such a degree that it had never been seen in a Winchester before, and seeing as Sam had his very last exam the day after tomorrow made Dean even more curious about this mystery girl.

"So, is she hot?" Dean whispered, the smile on his face evident even in the dark.

There was a moment of silence as Sam raised his brows and smiled dreamily.

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen... Perfect figure, long, wavy, blonde hair, huge green ey-..."

"What about her rack?"

Sam sighed to himself; Dean was incorrigible.

"Her rack is awesome..." he answered in a tired voice, "can we please just go to sleep now, I have to get up and study in a few hours!"

"Fine, but I'm not done interrogating you!"

"Whatever man..."

x-x

Both boys were abruptly awoken when John knocked harshly on their door, yelling "Rise and shine, boys!" at 5.30. Sam looked hideous and John sent him an asking glance as the teen nearly banged his head down his breakfast from lack of sleep.

"If I didn't know how much school means to you, I would be certain that you had been out late last night!" John said jokingly.

Sam jerked upright at the comment, eyeing his dad warily.

"What?" he shrieked in a high pitched voice, "no, I didn't, I wasn't... I just studied all night, s'all"

John narrowed his eyes, but decided to leave Sam alone, knowing the boy was under a lot of self-applied pressure to finish high school with a row of A's.

Sam did not get an A on his final exam, and although that would normally have knocked him out for a while, he couldn't keep his thoughts off his date. Sam found himself spending hours thinking about the girl and though he knew obsessing over a woman wasn't usually his style, he just couldn't help it.

x-x

In the beginning of July Sam had managed to sneak out for two more dates with the girl who was named Elli, and Dean was getting more and more curious. He had heard all about how amazing she was but had yet to see her. He knew that Sam had planned a date later that night, but couldn't grill him for information seeing as John was still at home. He was leaving for a hunt later in the afternoon, and had both his son's occupied with making salt rounds.

Sam was sitting at the kitchen table, gun in one hand shell case in the other, completely lost in thought. An image of himself kissing Elli was stuck before his eyes and without knowing he was showing off a rather goofy grin for his brother and father to see.

"Sam, get a move on with those rounds. I'm leaving in an hour!" John demanded gruffly and sent his son a sideways glare.

He stopped in his tracks as he spotted the look on Sam's face. John turned his attention to his eldest.

"What the hell's gotten in to him?" he asked and furrowed his brow.

"I dunno... Sam's always been prone to slip into his own world!"

Dean shrugged and blushed a little. He would never be really comfortable lying to his father's face.

"Maybe so" John said "but I need him in this freaking world right now, or I'll be out of salt rounds too early!

The older hunter cleared his throat and expected his youngest to flinch as he used to when John did that right behind him. There was no reaction what so ever, and John felt his temper rise. He raised a hand a smacked Sam in the back of the head, making the boy let out a small yelp.

"Ow, Dad what the hell!"

"Salt rounds, now!"

The 18-year-old gritted his teeth and continued making bullets.

"Why don't you make your own god damn rounds!" Sam mumbled to himself when John had moved to the kitchen.

Dean sent his brother a pointed look.

"If you plan on sitting comfortably on your date, maybe you should keep that smart mouth shut. You know Dad doesn't take lightly to comments like that... Remember what happened when you talked shit before you ran off to Flagstaff?!" he whispered.

Sam just nodded, knowing his brother was right. He would never forget getting whacked with that god forsaken ruler, shit that had hurt!

x-x

Sam looked into the two pools of green in front of him and felt his knees turn to jelly. Damn this girl was just too hot!

"What's on your mind, Sam?" Elli asked and looked at the boy in front of her.

"You're beautiful!" Sam exclaimed with a huge smile and pulled the girl in for a kiss.

Elli pried Sam's, already parted, lips open and he felt her tongue tickle his. A jolt of emotions shot through him and when the teens pulled apart Sam felt almost tired. He ran his hand over Elli's hair that seemed to glow even more now than just a minute ago and spotted that look in her eyes seemingly reserved for him. Like something about him puzzled and intrigued her.

"What?" Sam said with a smile.

Elli smiled back, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Nothing... you're just" she paused to search for the right word, "different than the guys I normally date..."

"How so?"

"No one usually lasts this long..."

Elli threw Sam a quick glare that he couldn't quite decipher.

x-x

Dean looked up when Sam opened the door and wrinkled his brow at his brother. Though Sam looked happy something seemed off to Dean.

"How're you feelin'?" Dean asked and shifted on the couch.

"I feel like sex with this girl is freakin' awesome!"

Dean gave an appreciative huff as an answer and cocked his brow at Sam.

"Sex is always awesome Sammy! So marathon-orgy or what? You look fucking exhausted!"

"Gotta admit I'm pretty busted, but I'll be fine tomorrow. Just need some sleep"

Dean looked doubtful. Sam looked like this girl had really done a number on him. His skin was pale and scruffy and his eyes almost lifeless.

"Sleep will do the trick Dean, stop acting like a freaking woman, I'm fine! Besides I gotta be ready for round two! We're meeting again tomorrow..."

Sam smiled and grabbed a beer in the fridge. When he had been younger he had hated being left behind when Dad went on his hunts without them, but now he enjoyed the freedom it brought. Freedom to stay out late, meet girls and have some beers. Basically time to be a normal teenager and lead the normal life that Sam had always craved!

"Well, it seems you two are becoming regular siamese twins, when do I get to meet this mystery lady?"

"It's conjoined twins, Dean, and I don't know... Elli is a pretty private person. She prefers few people around her..."

Dean mumbled something incoherent and grabbed Sam's beer from his hands. He took a long swig and looked defiantly at Sam who threw him an indignant glare.

"You're such a jerk!"

"Get a new one, you're standing right beside the fridge... And don't call me a jerk, you bitch!"

"Know what, I'm just gonna go to bed!" Sam announced and pouted unhappily when Dean continued to drink Sam's cold beer,

"Enjoy my beer!" he added sarcastically.

Dean gave a nod as Sam walked out of the room and sent his brother one last look. Sex shouldn't make a guy look that sleepy and unhealthy Dean thought to himself and felt an instinctive alarm go off somewhere deep within him. Something might not be all good with this Elli. A little big brother eavesdropping might be in order! And besides, he really wanted to see this pretty wonder for himself.

x-x

Dean had followed Sam at a safe distance ever since he left their home. Right now the couple was seated at a diner waiting for their food, and Dean felt his stomach growl at the thought of eating. He should have brought a freaking pie! Dean moved a little to the left, making his view of the girl better. When he saw her his heart did a double-take. Sam had been right when he had said that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She was practically glowing! Radiating a sense of confidence normally rare in an 18-year-old, angsty girl.

Her blonde hair was flowing down her face, landing in soft waves over her perky, rather big breasts, her eyes were shining with life and her teeth pearly white, visible in the most dazzling smile Dean had ever seen. This girl really was the epitome of beauty! How the hell did _Sam_ pick this girl up instead of him?! Life was so unfair sometimes!

When the couple left the diner and headed into a small back alley Dean couldn't help himself but had to follow to see if Sam would get some more action. So far there was absolutely nothing that seemed out of the ordinary and Dean smiled to himself as the younger boy caressed the girl in front of him and pulled her in for a kiss; his brother truly deserved a slice of normal teenage life!

The next thing Dean saw changed his perception of Elli immediately. When her lips connected with Sam's, black lines, resembling veins, spread on his face, seemingly without his knowledge, and black circles appeared under his eyes. It was as if he was aging right there in front of Dean, the life slowly draining from Sam's body!

Dean sprinted forwards, howling like a maniac.

"Sammy, get away from her!"

The two teens broke apart and Sam whipped around to see his brother running down the alley heading straight for Elli. Dean grabbed the girl by the shoulders, knocking her over, and pulled out his silver knife. A strong hand grabbed Dean around the wrist and pried the knife out of his hand just as he was about to stab.

"What the hell are you doing Dean?!" Sam roared angrily and ripped Dean off of Elli.

Elli shook her head and threw Dean an evil look.

"She's... I don't know what she is Sam, but something's not right! When you kissed, you turned all ancient and... Just cut her with the fucking knife!"

Sam hesitated for a second but saw the desperate look in Dean's eyes.

"I'm sorry Elli!" Sam mumbled before he grabbed the trembling girl by her wrist and made a cut on her forearm.

Drops of red blood ran over Elli's arm and she squinted at the stinging sensation.

"What the fuck?!" she yelped and pulled her arm back, away from the knife.

Sam withdrew a small flask from his pocket and quickly unscrewed the cap. A splash of water hit Elli across the face and she sent Sam a seething look while getting to her feet. Sam gasped and then turned to face his brother.

"That makes no sense...she... Sam you gotta believe me, she sucked the life out of you!" Dean said and got to his feet. He felt his legs wobble a bit underneath him and quickly moved away out of Elli's reach. He was 100% sure of what he had seen, but didn't know how to make Sam believe him.

When Dean was backing up Elli suddenly made a jump towards Sam and placed her hands over his temples and pressed her lips against his. Sam gasped when he felt his energy leaving him and collapsed to the ground when Elli let go.

Elli turned towards Dean who approached her with a growl and when he reached her, grabbed him by the hair with one hand and placed the other on his temple. In mere seconds Dean crumbled to the dirty ground and Elli grabbed Sam and dragged him with her.

x-x

Dean awoke in a daze and grabbed his throbbing head. As soon as he remembered what had happened he got to his feet and ran all the way home. His heart was pounding in his chest as he thought of Sammy and what that crazy bitch was going do to him. As much as Dean wanted to find the two teens right away he knew that he needed to do some quick research if he was to stand a chance against Elli. When touch alone could suck you dry, going unprepared would be suicidal!

Dean nearly knocked the door over when he entered the shabby house and he immediately opened the laptop. A few searches quickly rewarded him with the answer he was looking for. What he found scared him more than he cared to admit.

Elli was a Jotun, more specifically Old Age in human form, and she could and would suck the life out of whoever she pleased! If the lore was to be believed all that could safe Sam, and all that would give Dean a chance to get near the girl without dying, was the apples of Idunn; the Norse goddess of eternal youth.

"Great!" Dean thought to himself, "where the hell do I get a Norse goddess' fucking apples?!"

Dean quickly punched in a number he knew by heart and waited for the phone to be picked up. It rang once, twice, three times.

"Singer..." a gruff voice answered and Dean breathed a sigh of relief.

x-x

Sam shook his head and slowly opened his eyes. He was cuffed to a chair, sitting in a dimly lit room. He quickly recognized the place as Elli's parents' house; parents that Sam now believed to be make belief. He yanked at the cuffs trying to free himself, but soon slumped backwards, exhausted from the effort. He was so unbelievably tired!

Sam caught a look of himself in a mirror hanging on the wall and nearly knocked the chair over in shock. His face looked worn, more like a 45-year-old than an 18-year-old and Sam felt nausea creep up on him. Who the hell was Elli?! What was she?!

He looked up when he heard rustling in the adjacent room, and swallowed his spit as the beautiful girl approached him.

"What do you want with me?" Sam asked, his voice only trembling ever so slighty.

Elli cocked her head to the side and smiled sweetly at Sam.

"You bring me life and energy, Sam, and I have never met anyone like you before. Even Thor wasn't as persistent as you. What are you?"

She looked at him, genuinely curious.

"What do you mean "What am I"?" Sam shot angrily, "what are _you_?"

"Well, I am Elli... You know that!" the girl in front of him said, sending him an insolent smirk.

Sam wanted to thwart her right there.

"I am described in the Norse Mythology" she said "I'm the foster mother of Utgards-Loki, I battled with Thor. Any of this ring a bell?"

Sam swallowed hard a few times, racking his brain for the answers. Then he remembered.

"You're Old Age. You're Time!"

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner, Sammy! Now that we're all in the clear about my heritage, how about you tell me about yourself. Why aren't you dead yet?"

The teen didn't know how to answer. Why _wasn't_ he dead yet? How should he, a mere human being, be able to withstand the touch of Time herself?

When Elli didn't get an answer she merely caressed Sam's cheek, making the boy pull back his head in disgust. She narrowed her eyes and the next second a loud smack resounded off the walls as she slapped Sam hard enough to make his teeth rattle.

"Well, regardless of what you are I'll enjoy sucking you dry, nice and slow!"

x-x

As soon as Dean had finished his talk with Bobby he had left the house to track down Sam and Elli. It didn't take him long to find them, and now he was impatiently waiting for the older hunter to arrive at the scene. To Dean's great surprise Bobby had promised to bring one of Idunn's apples and hadn't even sounded as if it would be a major problem, he had just needed to make a pit stop in Buffalo on the way!

The old hunter's car roared as he parked it next to the Impala, and Bobby quickly exited his vehicle to join Dean by the Chevy. The two men hugged briefly and then pulled apart.

"Ya damn idjit!" Bobby growled and smacked Dean in the head.

"Ow, Bobby, what was that for?"

"From what you've told me about Sam's behavior the last few months, you can't tell me that John didn't once ask you about your brother!"

Dean hung his head and blushed slightly. Bobby knew him too damn well!

"Lying to John Winchester is a bold move, Dean. Or rather a really, really stupid one!"

Bobby opened a small box and handed Dean the red and green apple. It looked just like a regular Discovery apple and Dean sniffed the fruit warily. He wasn't a huge fan of rabbit-food!

"So this thing can save Sam?" he asked.

"Yes, Dean, this is an apple of Idunn, the goddess of eternal youth. If anything can save Sam it's this, so move your freakin' ass!"

"You not coming?"

Bobby shook his head, no.

"There's only one apple and you need to grab a few bites for yourself in case this Jotun touches you again!"

Dean quickly took a big bite of the crunchy apple and swallowed. He felt a tingling sensation spread through him and hurried towards the old house where he knew Elli was keeping Sam.

x-x

Sam was panting for breath as Elli pulled back from him and didn't doubt for a second that time was running out. He was clinging to his last energy reserves and if Dean didn't come soon there would be nothing more than a pile of bones and a heap of gray skin to rescue.

"Feeling tired, Sam?" Elli asked evilly and flipped her glowing locks.

"Fuck you!" Sam retorted and wheezed as he felt as if a hand constricted his heart and windpipe.

"That's no way to address an elderly lady now, is it!"

Elli pointed a finger at the boy in front of her and was just about to slap Sam again, when something resembling a whirlwind burst through the door. Sam slowly turned his head and sighed in relief as he spotted none other than Dean.

Elli ran forward and grabbed onto Dean and he felt the energy starting to seep from him. But his reserves seemed much larger than normally, and without hesitation Dean pulled back his arm and let his clenched fist collide harshly with Elli's nose. The girl fell back, cupping her hurt face as blood spurted everywhere.

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed when he spotted his brother.

He hurried to him and placed the apple in Sam's mouth while picking the lock to the cuffs. Just as Dean felt the lock spring open, a hand grabbed him by the hair pulling him backwards and off of Sam.

"NO!" he ground out through gritted teeth and twisted violently in the grip.

Sam pulled himself free and immediately grabbed the apple stuck in his mouth. The first bite felt like drinking a huge glass of icy water after a long run, the second like life itself flooded back into his body. Which probably wasn't too far from the truth!

Sam quickly regained enough strength to stand, and he grabbed the wooden chair and lifted it high in the air. The chair hit Elli right in the back of the head, making the girl collapse to the floor like a rag doll. Dean huffed a few times and got to his feet.

"Looks like time's run out for you!" Dean smirked as he poked Elli with his foot.

He sent Sam a sideways glare and pursed his lips at Sam's lightly scolding look.

"No?" Dean asked, "well, then let's get the fuck outta here, Sammy!" Dean suggested and grabbed Sam by the elbow.

"Do you think she's dead?" Sam asked as the brothers left the filthy room.

"Probably not, I don't think you can kill Age..."

x-x

Both Bobby's car and the Impala were parked in the driveway and all three hunters were sitting in the living room having a cold beer.

"How the hell did you get your hands on that apple anyway, Bobby?" Dean asked, "it doesn't seem like something normal people just have laying around!"

Bobby smiled to himself, that was a secret he wasn't ready to share with the boys. He could only hope that John didn't need the apple from his storage anytime soon and started asking questions!

"Just let me worry about that, Dean. The less you know and all that jazz..."

Dean didn't look satisfied and was just about to say something when Sam opened his mouth.

"...But why didn't I just die, Bobby?" he asked, refrasing the question he had already asked Bobby five times.

The older man sighed and looked at Sam.

"You can keep asking that question and I'll still not have an answer. I don't know why you were special Sam... I wish I did, but I don't... Maybe we're not supposed to know everything!"

"That's a stupid ass statement, Bobby!" Dean shot and finished his beer.

Bobby narrowed his eyes and sent Dean a look that made him feel 12 instead of 22.

"Oh really, Mr. Smartass! Does that mean, that you want me to tell your dad about this. How Sam has been sneaking out, falling in love with a girl who was a Jo-

"I was not in love with her!" Sam interrupted sounding the age Dean felt at the moment.

Both Bobby and Dean threw Sam a stern glare that made him look down with the usual Sam-pout.

"...who was a Jotun" Bobby continued, "that you lied to John's face and then called me instead of him for help! Do you _really_ want me to tell him that, cause I certainly will. If your ass has a death wish, then fine by me, ya idjit!"

Dean tried pouting, but it ever only really worked for Sam, so instead he just crossed his arms in defeat.

"No!" Dean said in a low, childish voice and looked up at Bobby, "I guess you're right. We're not supposed to know everything..."

x-x

...As Sam thought back on what had happened that summer, a thought suddenly struck him.

"Dean" he started, sounding pensive.

His older brother raised an eyebrow, motioning for Sam to go on.

"You know how we could never figure out why I wasn't affected nearly as much as you by Elli?"

"Yeah?" Dean said, not following Sam's train of thought.

"What if it was because of the demon blood! It makes sense; according to the lore Elli hurt Thor and everyone she fought with, but clearly she didn't hurt the Jotnar..."

"No" Dean drawled, not seeing exactly what Sam meant "hurting your own son by touching him would be rather counter-productive!"

"Yes it would, but that's not my point. The Jotnar were perceived as evil, and well, demon's aren't exactly known to be good Samaritans..."

Dean nodded a few times. Sam was right, that was definitely a possibility.

"Guess you're right... another case definitively solved... Now let's get some shut-eye, I wanna get up early so we can hit the road and move on tomorrow..."

"From your horrible let-down by the not-so-hot bartender, you mean?" Sam said with a crooked smile.

"Shut up... Bitch!"

"You shut up, you jerk! And you really need to work on coping with rejection. You're not getting any younger you know!"

"Says the guy who used to date the personification of Old Age!"

"Alright, I think we've established that Winchesters suck at relationships, let's just get some sleep now..."

They both nosedove onto their beds and Sam extended a long arm to turn off the light. He smiled to himself in the darkness of the shabby room. Though remembering what had happened that summer wasn't exactly warm, sweet and mushy, the trip down memory lane with Dean had been entertaining. The Winchesters had lost so much over the years that it was nothing short of a string of tragedies, but one thing Sam and Dean would have to treasure for all eternity. Their memories.

* * *

**A/N: That's it for this one... Hope you enjoyed... **

**In Norse Mythology Elli was indeed the personification of Old Age (her Danish name Ælde, pronounced almost as Elli, means exactly that) who could suck the life out of the ones she touched. However in the myths she is depicted as a very old and fragile woman and the lore doesn't state whether she could change her appearance, but Jotuns often could, so I just chose to make her able to do that to fit my plot. **

**Please leave me some feedback to let me know how this story worked for you :)**

**- Rikke**


	4. The King of Pranks

**A/N: So, I need a break from studying for my chemistry exam and figured that some SPN-writing would do the deed :) **

**This story is inspired by 1.17, Hell House, and how Sam and Dean are pranking each other. It was just too tempting to do a memory of how stuff could have gotten out of hand from earlier prank wars. **

**The usual warnings and disclaimer still stand, obviously...**

**Have fun reading :D**

* * *

**Part 4: The king of pranks**

"DEEEEEAAAAAN!"

Sam's voice was loud, angry and desperate and Dean smiled to himself. The next second his brother slammed the bathroom door open and entered the room wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Dean took one look at him and then nearly fell off the bed, roaring with laughter.

"You put fucking KoolAid in the shower head!" the younger Winchester growled accusingly and shook his head so hundreds of tiny blue droplets rained down.

"Wow, aren't you clever!"

"What the hell, man! I didn't even do anything. We've had a truce for years!"

"Yeah, well now we don't, Giant Smurf..." Dean said between laughs, "You know this new look suits you, you should keep it!"

"Fuck you, Dean!" Sam ground out through gritted teeth and wiped a hand across his wet face.

"Aw, what's the matter Sammy, feeling blue?"

Sam sent Dean a seething look before returning to the bathroom to wash up. He sighed to himself as his blue reflection looked back at him. Cleaning this stuff off would take ages! Dean would have to watch his every move from now on, Sam mused to himself, stuff like this meant war!

"Better watch your back, Dean! I always win these wars, you know!"

"Blah, blah, blah, I'm the freaking KING of pranks and you know it..."

"Huh" Sam exclaimed and poked his head in to look at Dean, "as far as I remember, _I_ pranked _you_ last by super gluing you to a bottle!"

"That was a shitty move Sammy, and if Dad had been around he would have kicked your ass for it!"

"Well, he wasn't, so... And I think putting Nair in my shampoo, making a clown show up and putting itching powder in my underwear were pretty shitty moves as well, Dean! And if I remember correctly Bobby had a talk with you about the clown!"

Dean shrugged and huffed.

"It's not like I'm the only one to ever have been called on a prank, you know!"

"No, I know! But if you hadn't done that stupid clown-thing I wouldn't have messed with the car and neither of our asses would have been grass!"

Dean furrowed his brow, a pensive look taking over his face.

"Hmm, I actually think you were the one who started that war when you placed a bucket of slime over the door!"

"Was not!" Sam shot and licked his lips, "Don't you remember? This is how it went..."

x-x

… Dean was slumped on Bobby's couch, chewing on his lower lip. He was bored out of his mind, pissed at his Dad for dumping them at the older hunter's place for two weeks instead of bringing them along. John was working a job with Caleb and had told his boys plainly that he needed a break from their constant prank wars. Last week John had walked into the line of fire by mistake, unknowingly setting off the firecrackers Dean had meant for Sam to be the victim of when he walked into the room. When the firecrackers went off John had pulled out his gun, spinning in a circle to locate the target and roaring like crazy.

Needless to say that he hadn't been too pleased when he discovered what had really happened. Dean had fought his way through a 10 mile run, 100 push ups, 250 crunches and four hours of weapon cleaning afterwards, his head stinging from the mercilessly hard slap his Dad had directed at the back of his skull when he passed him.

Sam had thrown Dean a mischievous grin when he was cleaning the guns with a pout on his face. Though Dean's first prank had quite literally backfired Sam decided that the war was on! The next day John had again fallen victim to his sons' childish games as a bucket fell on his head, encasing his head and shoulders in green, gooey slime.

When John finally managed to remove the mess, it had been Sam's turn to run, do crunches and push ups and then make salt rounds, his ass burning from the fast flurry of swats John had laid on him when he got out of his shower only wearing his boxers.

x-x

John had been more than relieved when Caleb had called about a complicated hunt and had eagerly accepted, deciding immediately that Sam and Dean would be staying at Bobby's, thus making sure that he would be out of pranks way!

x-x

And so here they were. The days were long, warm and uneventful, consisting primarily of helping Bobby with the cars, chopping wood and doing chores around the house. The old hunter knew the boys well enough to sense the war going on between them and so made sure to keep both Winchesters too busy to screw with each other. At least he thought he did!

Dean stretched on the couch, almost drifting off to sleep when he heard a scream from upstairs. Dean righted himself, waiting for his brother to show. He didn't have to wait long. The bathroom door slammed open and Sam came running down the steps, his eyes wide with fury and panic.

"I'm gonna kill you!" the youngest Winchester exclaimed grimly and narrowed his eyes, "you're so fucking dead, Dean! What the hell did you put in my shampoo?!"

Dean had severe trouble taking the death threats seriously seeing as his brother had several bald spots on his head, making him look rather ridiculous and when Dean started to laugh hysterically instead of explaining himself Sam lost his patience.

Sam advanced on his brother and jumped him with a growl, making them both tumble to the floor. The wrestling match knocked over the coffee table and Sam and Dean were huffing and puffing, grabbing and pulling so furiously that they didn't hear the angry outburst of "you two idjits knock it off, RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"

Bobby sighed to himself and slammed the rolled up newspaper down a side table so hard that the smack echoed through the room. Both boys froze in their position and focused their eyes on Bobby. Sam released his hold on Dean's ear and Dean removed the hand that had mercilessly shoved Sam's head into a very uncomfortable angle.

Seeing the look in the older hunter's eyes both boys started apologizing feebly and got to their feet.

"What the _hell's_ going on here? One minute it's blissful silence the next a freakin' nuclear war is being fought in my living room! Sam what's-"

Bobby stopped mid sentence as he suddenly discovered the boy's tortured locks. His eyes narrowed and he turned his gaze on Dean who seemed to wither under his stern glare.

"It's err, that's errm..." Dean mumbled and shifted his feet.

"Yes, thank you Dean I can see what that is! What did both your Dad and I tell you when you two arrived?"

"To quit with the pranks, I know. But Bobby I was ow, ow, owow ow!"

Dean was cut off as Bobby swung the newspaper, whacking Dean roughly over the head.

"Well, don't ya ears work, boy? No more pranks or we move from the newspaper to heavier artillery!"

"Yes, sir..." Dean mumbled, choking back a laugh as he cast his brother another glance.

"Right, well I need you both out back, so move them asses!"

x-x

While they were helping Bobby dig a grave for a body some guy named Rufus was bringing over later, Sam was racking his brain for ways to get back at Dean. He needed something that Bobby wouldn't notice or walk in to by mistake and so far he had discarded every decent idea he had come up with.

It wasn't until he was helping Bobby cook dinner that Sam finally knew how to get his revenge. Bobby was adding salt to the soup and scrunched up his face as he tasted the food.

"Balls!" he exclaimed and sighed deeply.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, "it smell's great."

"Yeah, well, I put in sugar instead of salt by mistake so now it might as well be a freakin' dessert!"

"Doesn't matter, Bobby, I'm sure it's still good. And Dean likes sugar-everything! He adds a freaking pound to his cereal!"

Sam smiled to himself as he noticed his own words. That was it! The classic salt and sugar-swap. The teen grinned to himself, already looking forward to seeing his brother's face the next morning.

x-x

Sam was trying to force his hair into a position that hid the bald spots when he heard his brother walking down the hall towards the bathroom. Dean pushed the door open and nodded at Sam.

"Morning Baldy!" he greeted and went to the toilet to relieve himself.

"Fuck, Dean, at least wait til I leave!"

"Geez, dude, relax!"

Sam huffed and went downstairs to the kitchen. Bobby was reading his paper, feet on a stool and his coffee mug in hand.

"Morning Sam" he said and shortly lifted his eyes from the paper.

"Morning, " Sam answered and quickly poured himself a bowl of cereal.

When he had sprinkled sugar on his Fruity Loops he sent Bobby a sideways glare to make sure that the older hunter wasn't looking. Bobby had focused all his attention back on the newspaper and so Sam managed to replace the sugar with salt without anyone noticing.

Dean entered the kitchen just minutes later and plopped down on a chair as soon as he had poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Man I'm starving! Pass the cereal!"

Sam pushed the colorful pack of Fruity Loops across the table and then dug into his own breakfast. He watched out of the corner of his eye how Dean nearly emptied the bowl of "sugar" onto his cereal and Sam held his breath to avoid laughing prematurely. This would be epic!

Dean lifted his spoon and, clueless as to what was about to happen, shoveled the cereal in to his mouth. As soon as he bit down on the food Dean felt the salt and he reflexively opened his mouth and let the half chewed Fruity Loops fall to the table while he spluttered and then emptied his coffee mug in two huge gulps. Sam was shaking with pent up laughter, and as the cereal and milk spilled across the table Bobby lowered his paper.

"What the _hell_ are you doing, Dean?" he asked dryly, not in the mood for any mischief.

"Umm" Dean said and wiped his mouth, "nothing!"

He shot his brother a look, squinting almost unnoticeably. Sam saw though, and knew it meant that Dean wouldn't rat him out. Both Winchester boys had a past with Bobby's belt and though Dean was pissed at Sam for the salt and sugar-swap he wasn't willing to throw his brother's ass under the bus for it!

The older hunter noticed the silent exchange between the brothers and instantly knew that his warning from yesterday had gone unnoticed.

"Nothing, huh! Give me your breakfast!" Bobby ordered as he stood up to grab a clean spoon.

"It's fine, really Bobby, I just, umm, wrong pipe, you know..."

"Mmhmm" Bobby nodded, "but I really wanna taste that rainbow colored candy-crap you two eat!"

Sam swallowed nervously as Dean pushed the bowl across the table and watched in horror as the old hunter put a spoonful in his mouth. Bobby screwed up his face and joined Dean's example of letting the milk and cereal fall to the table.

"Goddamn it!" he growled and shot Sam a death glare, "didn't you hear me yesterday, Sammy?!"

"But I just wanted to get back at him, Bobby, even the score out a little!"

"Hrumph!" Bobby huffed and reached over to cuff the boy upside his head, "okay, I see your point. But now that you're even, this madness ends. Are we clear?"

Sam nodded and threw Dean a gloating look. For once he had gotten the last word!

"Now, clean this goddamn mess up and then place that ass of yours back here to translate some Latin!"

Sam scoffed, but seeing Bobby's stern glare immediately reeled in the attitude.

"Yes, sir!" he said obediently and rose to get some paper towels.

x-x

Dean was buried underneath an old Escalade, working on the chassis, his feet stomping the ground in tune with the music blaring from the small radio. When the guitar solo started Dean kicked out his leg to hit an imaginary guitar pedal but instead hit the radio so it fell over. The radio buzzed before settling on another channel and Dean scrunched up his nose when the rap hit his ears. That stuff had never been for him. He knew Sam had had a hip hop phase but Dean never got the big idea. Sam! The look on his brother's face when Dean spat out his cereal haunted the older Winchester and he couldn't help but think of ways to wipe that gloating smugness off the kid's face. Regardless of Bobby's warnings!

Dean tightened a bolt and breathed a sigh of relief when the song ended. He rolled out from under the car and fumbled for the radio to change back to the rock station.

"This was Let's go all the way by Insane Clown Posse, kick back to th-"

Dean found his favorite channel again, just catching the ending of Rooster by Alice in Chains and moved back under the car. Just as he focused on the bolt again the perfect Sam-prank waltzed into his head. An insane clown showing up to give Sam a hug! That stuff would put Dean back on top of the Prank Throne, coronating him forever as the King of Pranks! Dean smiled to himself, his teenage mind pushing back the possibility of Bobby making good of his promise about heavier artillery if he caught the boys doing another prank. He had phone calls to attend to when this old gal was done! And seeing as Bobby was going to town later this afternoon to deal was some misdimeanors at Sheriff Mills' station, he knew just the time to arrange the cheerful meeting!

x-x

Sam and Dean were relaxing in the living room when the door bell suddenly rang. The boys looked at each other, neither one moving an inch.

"Answer the door, Dean" Sam said, giving his brother a lazy glare.

"No way, you move your ass out there. I'm the oldest so you do what I say..."

Sam sighed and wasn't going to move, but then the door bell sounded again, a long, persistent ringing torturing his pounding head ache.

"Fine!" the younger teen exclaimed and got off the couch with a displeasured grunt.

Sam exhaled heavily as he approached the front door, not in the mood for whatever was awaiting him outside. He opened the door and felt his heart threaten to pound its way out of his chest when he spotted the thing standing in front of him. Huge shoes, colorful pants, curly, red hair and the most grotesque smile Sam had ever seen was planted right in front of him! Sam let out a pitiful squeak and felt his face heat up as the panic spread throughout his body.

"Wh-wh-what..."

"Are you Sam?" the clown asked grimly, clearly annoyed with the entirety of the situation.

Sam didn't move, didn't say a word. He was staring at the monster in front of him, closing his mouth when he found himself to be slack-jawed.

The clown nodded to himself and took a step forward.

"Have a nice day Samuel!" the dressed up man growled, sounding everything but sincere.

He then proceeded to extend his arms to wrap Sammy in to a hug. Just as he was closing his grip Sam sprang to life, letting out a panicky howl followed by a forceful jab to the clown's nose.

"What the _fuck_!" the clown roared furiously before tumbling to the ground, cupping his nose.

As the large man went down, all the fight went out of Sam and he fell to the ground with a thud, out cold as the panic finally took the better of him.

x-x

Bobby returned home just in time to see a huge clown fall backwards, Sam fainting to the ground and Dean showing up at the door, a bewildered yet amused look on his face.

"Balls!" Bobby mumbled as he strode towards Dean.

He slowly approached the boy who was too busy helping the clown off the ground to notice Bobby's arrival.

"I'm sorry" Dean tried and brushed some dirt off the clown's jacket.

As Dean's hand slapped gently across the over sized button it let out a honk that left the teen in hysterics.

"You'll be hearing from my lawyer!" the clown exclaimed angrily, instantly wiping the grin off of Dean's face.

"Please" the boy said, holding up his hands dismissively, "my brother's scared to hell of clowns, I was just trying to teach him a lesson. I had no idea he was gonna punch you!"

None of Dean's words seemed to appease the clown, and he was clearly about to yell when Bobby cleared his throat, making both the clown and Dean flinch in surprise.

"How 'bout you take this and you'll never hear from us again?" Bobby said gruffly, handing the clown a bunch of bills.

The man nodded curtly before turning on his heels and striding off Singer's Salvage Yard. Bobby sent Dean a seething look that made the boy take a step backwards, before he kneeled beside Sam and gently patted him on the cheek.

"Hey, Sammy, hey, wake up, boy!"

"Huh?" Sam slurred and opened his eyes.

He looked confused for a moment before the clown episode returned to him.

"No, no! The clown, he was, he hugged-!"

"Relax Sam, he's gone! Let's get you inside to rest a bit!"

Bobby snapped his fingers at Dean to get him to help half carry half drag his brother to the couch.

When Bobby had made sure Sam was resting peacefully he turned towards Dean who was leaning on the bookcase.

"What were you thinking, ya stupid-ass?!" Bobby asked grimly.

"Come on, Bobby!" Dean said when the old hunter raised an eyebrow at him, "it was just for kicks. If I'd known he would punch the guy and then faint himself I wouldn't have done it!"

"But ya did!" Bobby said dryly and took a step towards Dean, "You know Sammy's scared to death of clowns and yet you chose that weak spot to pick on!"

Dean hung his head, actually quite ashamed of himself. Maybe that blow _had_ been below the belt! He flinched when Bobby grabbed him by the front of his shirt and tugged him with him out of the house.

"Bobby, look, I promise I won't-"

"Shut your piehole, Dean! Do I ever break my promises?"

Bobby gave the boy a good shake and Dean sighed in defeat.

"No, sir"

"Good, then you know where we're headed!"

x-x

Dean sucked in a breath as the worn leather belt caught him right across his sit spots and he jerked forward as the next stroke hit just an inch lower.

"Dammit, Bobby, enough already!" Dean ground out through gritted teeth. He had forgotten just how mean a swing Bobby Singer packed!

"You're not really in a position to negotiate, kid!" Bobby growled dryly and let the belt fly through the air again.

When he finally threaded his belt back through their loops Dean was panting for breath, stomping his feet and letting out every swear word in the book. It took a moment for him to pick himself up, but he eventually righted himself from the hood of the car and looked at Bobby with a tear-stained, subdued face.

"I'm sorry Bobby!" he said in a low voice, "I guess it was kind of a shitty move!"

"Damn straight!" the hunter agreed and sent Dean a stern stare, "move that ass of yours back to the house and up to your bed. I don't wanna see you downstairs until dinner, are we clear?"

"Yes, sir" Dean nodded and trudged slowly towards the house, his hands tentatively rubbing at his burning backside.

x-x

As soon as Sam heard Bobby drag Dean off to blister his ass he jumped up from the couch to set his plan in motion. He was positively pissed at Dean for pulling such a low-blow and as soon as he came to, he had decided that the Impala needed to come into play if he was to stand a chance to trump the stupid clown!

Sam opened the fridge and pulled out an onion and the salmon waiting to be cooked for dinner. He quickly cut off a small piece of the fish before putting the rest of the salmon back in the refrigerator.

With sticky hands Sam wrapped the salmon around the onion before putting the fish package into a tiny net. He smiled to himself as he grabbed the duct tape and brought both tape and fish out to Dean's baby.

With great care Sam placed the fish and onion pack inside the exhaust pipe of the Impala, making sure not to block the pipe completely. He smiled to himself as he went back to the house, throwing the car one last look. The Impala was parked right in the sun and tomorrow the weather would have done all Sam's dirty work for him! All that was needed then was a nice drive in the sun!

x-x

The next day Dean was somewhat more subdued than usual, his butt sore and bruised, and Sam was a lot more jumpy than he used to be. He had tried persuading Dean to go to town for pie, but not even bakeries seemed to tempt Dean enough to accept sitting flat on his ass for the ride!

x-x

Late in the afternoon John's truck suddenly showed up, making both boys swallow hard. Dean knew he was in for an epic telling off, maybe another whuppin', and Sam knew his ass would be grass if his Dad found out about the car. The man was still overly attached to the old Chevy!

John greeted Bobby on the porch, the older hunter letting John know all about what his boys had been up to for the last week and a half. Dean jumped when he heard John's outburst as Bobby filled him in on the Nair and the clown-prank and crossed his fingers that his Dad would take Bobby's word for it when he said that Dean's ass had already paid for those pranks!

"Dean, come here!" John ordered when he entered the living room five minutes later.

His eldest threw him a nervous look but went to him nonetheless. When he was standing right in front of his Dad, Dean bit his lower lip.

"Dad, I-"

"Can it, Dean. We're going for a ride and a conversation!"

Dean blanched at the last word and John raised his hands.

"No, not that kind of conversation, Dean. Bobby assured me he already took care of you!"

"Yeah, you could say that again!"

John hid a small smile and tugged gently on Dean's collar to get him to follow. Sam's eyes darted from his Dad to Dean to Bobby and he went outside with the others.

"Maybe you should take the truck" he suggested, trying to sound as casual as possible, "better seats for a burning ass!"

"As much as I'm sure your brother's ass appreciates your concern we're going to take the Impala! It's been ages since I've driven that beauty!"

Sam opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say, and couldn't do anything but look on as his father and brother got in the car and drove off. Well, fuck!

x-x

Dean moved around the seat, trying to find the least uncomfortable position and glared out the window. He knew his Dad was going to chew him out and wasn't exactly looking forward to the lecture. He had been through it a million times and had become an expert at looking repentant, saying his "sorries" at the right times and blushing appropriately when scolded, all the while not really listening. John obviously sensed that his son wasn't hearing a word he was saying and slammed his hand down the horn, making Dean jump in surprise.

"Listen to me when I'm talking to you, dammit!" John growled, sounding annoyed, "This selective hearing you've got going ends now Dean!"

"Yes, sir" Dean mumbled

"Look, I know brothers pull pranks on each other, but this has gone too far. Making a clown show up at Bobby's to hug your brother! You know how Sam feels about clowns, and if you had considered the situation maybe you would have realized that Sam might react the way he did! The man would have had every right to send his lawyer at our throats and what would that have gotten us, huh!"

"I'm sorry Dad, I was just-" Dean pinched the bridge of his nose, shooting his Dad a dirty look, "Did you let one rip just to let me know you think I'm talking shit?"

John shook his head, exhaling forcefully as an attempt to make the nasty smell go away.

"Thought it was you!" he said and rolled the window all the way down, "Damn this is disgusting. Smells like a bear puked up a rotten fish in here! How the hell are you treating my sweetheart, Dean?!"

The teen raised his hands dismissively, not wanting to take responsibility for the foul smell. His Dad's words repeated in his head and suddenly realization struck Dean. He was the one to tell Sam about this particular prank in the first place. How the hell did Sam dare do this nasty shit to his precious baby! He was going to rip his brother to shreds when he got his hands on him!

"Dad, I know what the smell is!"

John threw Dean a quick glance before returning his eyes to the road.

"Please, do tell! Jesus, it stinks in here!"

"It's a piece of fish and onion in the exhaust pipe... Sam must have put it there to get back at me for the clown-thing!"

"WHAT?!" John roared, pulling the steering wheel by mistake, "that is _IT_, I'll make sure he never even _thinks_ of doing something like this again!"

Sensing the anger radiate from his Dad Dean turned his head to look out the window again and raised his eyebrows. _Wow, _he thought to himself, _you better prepare for an epic ass kicking, Sammy_!

x-x

Bobby and Sam were working in the yard when they heard the Impala's roar out front, and Bobby sent the boy another scrutinizing glare. Sam had been very subdued since his Dad and Dean left, but didn't want to give the old hunter a explanation for his weird behavior. Now that the Impala was once again parked in Singer's Salvage Yard Sam seemed to grow nervous and he ran a hand through his mangled hair.

"Come on, let's go find some beers and sodas" Bobby said, giving Sam a pat on the back as he passed him.

They went to the kitchen and met the two returning Winchester's in the living room. Sam stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted his father's furious form and gulped audibly. Dean shifted a bit on his spot, not entirely comfortable standing next to John Winchester at this exact moment. His hands were freaking war clubs for Christ's sake!

"Upstairs now Sammy!" the oldest Winchester boomed, making the boy in question flinch.

"Dad, I can explain..." Sam started feebly.

"Can you really?" John spat angrily, "Cause the way I see it no explanation will realy suffice!"

Sam hung his head, his heart racing desperately in his chest.

Bobby looked from Winchester to the next, not at all getting the reason for the angry atmosphere.

"Will someone fill me the fuck in here?" he shot dryly and pulled off his cap to run a hand over his hair.

John turned his eyes to Bobby and exhaled deeply.

"This genius" he started, motioning to Sam, "decided to get back at Dean for the stupid ass clown-thing and did so by poisoning the Impala with a piece of fish and onion in the exhaust pipe! It fucking reeks now!"

Bobby quickly masked the reflexive laugh by turning it into a cough. Though he could see some humor in the prank he knew that John sure as hell couldn't! That car was his pride and joy, and it had been hard for him to hand over the Chevy to his oldest.

No matter how funny Bobby found the prank to be on paper, he didn't find the fact that Sam had actually done it funny one bit. After the scoldings, the punishment Dean had been through and the fact that both John and Bobby had directly ordered the prank war to end Sam had still went and done something so disrespectful. Knowing John Winchester Bobby felt for the boy!

x-x

John was pacing in front of Sam, who squirmed uncomfortably on the bed, and blew out a breath before returning to the telling off.

"You boys never seize to amaze me!" John said, "what is it with you two and crossing a thoroughly established line, huh! I told you two to quit these stupid games. _Bobby_ told you! And then you kept it up anyway!"

"But I couldn't just let Dean get away with that fucking clown-prank, Dad!" Sam whined, sending his father an indignant look followed by his distinctive pout.

"Watch your mouth! Dean didn't get away with it, Bobby roasted him good and truly for it, you know that Samuel! What Dean did was not okay, but I would have thought you'd have more decency than to use the same methods as your brother!"

"What's that even supposed to mean? What I did was nothing like what he did to me, Dad!"

"No? Because the way I see it, you deliberately set in where you knew it would hurt Dean the most! His love for the Impala is as deep and strong as your fear of clowns, and though his prank might have seemed more mean yours wasn't a hell of a lot better!"

Sam hung his head and sucked in his bottom lip. When his Dad put it like that!

"I'm sorry..." the teen mumbled, feeling his cheeks blush.

"Yeah, you damm well will be!"

John only had to motion with his hands to get Sam into position, and he felt his son gasp when he saw what John grabbed from the table.

"Please, Dad" Sam said pleadingly, "Use anything but that!"

He swallowed to himself and remembered all too well how much getting smacked with the ruler before his run-off to Flagstaff a few months prior had stung!

"No, I think this'll do just fine!"

And with that the first whack fell, instantly emitting a sound gasp from Sam.

x-x

Usually John had a very firm pattern when he punished his boys, the strokes wandering from top to bottom and then back up, but this time there seemed to be no order of things, some of the licks crisscrossing evilly.

Sam was yelping and felt tears spill down his cheeks as a nasty smack struck him right across the undercurve.

"OWWW!" he cried and nearly launched himself off the bed, "I'm sorry Dad, I'll never mess with the Impala again, I sweAARHH!"

When Sam couldn't control his breath and the duvet underneath his face was a mess of tears and snot, John threw the warm ruler back on to the table and carefully stood Sam up.

"Now, you better promise me that this prank war is absolutely done for!"

Sam nodded vigorously and mopped at his face.

"Yes, sir. I'll never pull a single prank ever again!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Sam" John said gently and ruffled Sam's ridiculous excuse of a hairdo, "you are a Winchester after all..."

x-x

… Dean looked up at his brother, grinning broadly.

"Okay, so maybe I did start that war all those years ago-"

"Yeah, like ever other prank war throughout our history!" Sam butted in, "And for some reason it's always my ass that gets burned the worst!"

"What?! Don't you remember how hard Bobby could hit! I didn't sit well for days!"

"Oh, boo hoo! You sent a fucking clown at me! You shouldn't have been able to either sit or walk for a year! And besides Dad went all ape with that stupid ruler on my poor ass!"

"Whatever, man! I'm still the KING! And I think you still have some blue shit right there!"

Sam slapped Dean's hand away from his face and got up from the chair. He opened the fridge and pulled out two beers. What he spotted lying next to the bottle opener made a devious smile spread on his face. Sam opened the beers and turned towards his brother with a mischievous look in the eyes.

"Want a beer?" he asked innocently and held out one of the bottles.

Dean almost grabbed the beer, then froze in his move. He squinted lightly, trying to read his brother.

"Yeah, I think I'll have the other one, thank you" Dean said smugly and grabbed the other beer as Sam held it out to him with a nod, "how stupid do you think I am? I won't fall for the same trick twice!"

Sam just nodded and took a swig of the beer left in his hand.

When Dean pulled back his bottle and was about to place it on the table he blushed and turned a pair of angry, green eyes at his brother.

"You didn't!"

Sam was already roaring with laughter and grabbed the super glue from the table so Dean could see.

"Oh, but I did!"

"I'm gon-, I'm gonna _kill_ you, Sammy!"

"Okay!" Sam grinned, "but if you do that, you won't have an opportunity to win back your self acclaimed title"

"What?" Dean growled.

"Fool you once shame on me, fool you twice shame on you! I'm the fucking KIIING!"

Dean pursed his lips and for once felt at a loss for words. Okay, so maybe he had to let Sam get this one. At least for one day Sam Winchester was the King of Pranks!

* * *

**A/N: Yep, that was it... Hope you enjoyed :)**

**Reviews make my day, so as always I'd love your thoughts on this little piece.**

**Now – back to the books!**

**- Rikke**


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